


Life after the Invasion

by Ellisgorn



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-29 14:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20083909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellisgorn/pseuds/Ellisgorn
Summary: After Link defeats Ganon and saves Hyrule, he has to find his place in a world that will never be the same and figure out his relationship with the Queen of Hyrule. (Takes place immediately after Twilight Princess ending cut scene, some interpretations of overall story and surrounding areas near Hyrule.) [Rated Teen for mild violence and suggestive themes, not a lemon or anything like that.]





	1. Gerudo Desert

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Guys, this is my second real work of writing. I would love any comments/criticisms to improve my writing as well as content suggestions... Anyways this is a story about Link and Zelda's relationship after the invasion as well as place I have to build the world I imagined Hyrule was in my head-cannon. Please Enjoy!

**Chapter 1- Gerudo Desert**

Silence.

That was the first thing she noticed.

How incredibly quiet the world seemed to be…

Zelda felt her own heartbeat and slowly loosened her fist.

_ How did it end this way? After spending so much time with Midna, how is she gone so quickly? _

Thoughts flew through Zelda’s mind as the seconds ticked by, the mirror of twilight had just been broken. She started looking for any hope any remnants of the mirr…

“I guess this means its over, huh?”

She whipped around to face the young man in green, face young and innocent, _ why did he have to get dragged through all this? _

The corners of his mouth slowly curved upwards, and Zelda couldn’t help but smile back. Their small chuckles rapidly transformed into full blown laughter- a mixture of relief and shock, emotions flooding through their minds. Suddenly, she was hugging him, grateful to hold onto someone real, and no one to tell her what to do or where to hide. He was hugging her back as well, tightly, as the remnants of their chuckles shook their bodies.

As they both let go, Link looked up and wore a concerned expression,

“We don’t have long until nightfall, come on let’s get Epona and find anything we can burn for the night.”

He wasn’t kidding, Zelda saw how dangerously low in the sky the sun was falling. She also realized how cold her bare neck and thinly covered arms were- the fleeting adrenaline alerting her to the falling temperatures of the desert.

“Without any cloud cover, the desert will drop to well below freezing tonight your highness…” he informed her.

“Good to know, and uhhh… you can just call me Zelda,” she responded.

He stared incredulously and started to protest,

“Well saving my life and my kingdom has to earn you something, right?” she teased him while smiling.

Link smiled back and nodded. He turned to look for firewood and before long, she could see him racing after stray tumbleweeds…

It wasn’t much, but Zelda had no complaints about their makeshift camp. There was a small tent they had set up inside one of the more stable looking parts of the ruins of the temple. Inside was a small campfire and a frighteningly small pile of firewood, mainly consisting of tumbleweeds and a few branches of mesquite they found buried in the sand. Unfortunately there was only a single bedroll and blanket, which she was currently staring at.

“You take the bedroll, I’ll be fine by the fire,” ventured Link.

She raised an eyebrow and thought of protesting. But ultimately she was too exhausted from fatigue and cold to raise much of an argument and settled into the sleeping bag. However before long, she noticed how much Link was shivering as he huddled next to their pathetic fire- knees pulled tightly to his chest.

“Come on,” she began,

“Get in here, we can squeeze.”

His eyebrows shot up as he stared in disbelief,

“My queen, I mean Zelda, I hardly think that's proper!”

“Oh come on, Link! I can’t have you dying of cold before we get back to the castle. That’s it- I order you to come lie here and get warm!”

He swallowed hard and then finally whispered,

“Alright…”

Zelda turned away, leaving as much blanket as she could spare for him as she scooted towards the edge of the bedroll. She could feel him climb in and turn to lie on his stomach, arms securely held under his chest. Her eyes suddenly felt very heavy and she drifting off as she desperately tried to think of another topic...

**\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Link awoke to find a certain princess’s head on his chest, his arm resting on her back. He softly moved out from under her as he attempted to lower his drastically high heart rate.

_ Alright, Alright, Alright, Alright. _

He exhaled a particularly large breath,

_ Okay Link, just focus on getting some more firewood, firewood is for fires, fires are for food. _

Food!

He realized how hungry he truly was, since he hadn’t eaten anything since long before Ganondorf. Grateful for something else to focus on, he began to look for firewood.

The nightly winds had brought them a large new batch of tumbleweeds and he was able to find a few desert swallow eggs, as wells as a few cactus fruits and bits of yucca. Before long he had a proper desert feast on the small fire and was just grabbing some spices from his saddle when he heard stirring from behind him…

“What is that smell??” Zelda eagerly asked him as she rubbed her eyes awake.

“Oh, just a little breakfast, it’ll be ready in a few minutes…”

Link’s stomach was overjoyed, he lapped up his entire plate in a few short moments and started to dish up more when he noticed Zelda wince in pain as she stretched out her left arm…

“Hey, what happened to your arm Zelda?”

“Oh it’s nothing, just hurts after our fight with Ganon yesterday…”

“That doesn’t look like nothing,” he chided as he slid closer to inspect.

He saw her tense up when he touched her arm and when he rolled up her sleeve he saw a nasty bruise on her shoulder.

“So what did you have for breakfast yesterday?” he asked casually as he inspected the wound.

“Umm… I think I probably had a, Ahh! What was that for?!”

“Sorry, just wanted to take your mind off your shoulder while I saw had bad it is- it’s definitely dislocated.”

Her eyes went wide at once,

“Dislocated! Does that mean you’ll have to set it?”

“Just a little bit, that's all,” he reassured her as Link turned her body to the side. He grabbed her left hand with his right and gave her a comforting squeeze as he placed his left palm just to the left of her shoulder.

“Now, I’m going to set it on the count of three, ready?”

She inhaled sharply and nodded her head with her eyes squeezed tight.

“One… Two…”

“Ow!” She yelled as she stared in disbelief- “you didn’t even finish two!”

“Hey, it’s a little trick I picked up on the ranch…”

After a few moments the sharp pain started to subside. She tested out the movement of her arm and sighed in relief when to her surprise- it had regained most of it's previous flexibility. Link eyed her hopefully, then shot up and went through his saddlebags and soon came back with a pouch of herbs.

“What are those for?” Zelda implored.

“Shhh, just relax.”

Link bent down and rolled up her sleeve to expose the skin on her injured shoulder. He began to massage the bruised muscles softly as he chewed on a few of the leaves. He spat them out and began to rub the paste on the wound when she started to protest.

“Shhh, I said… relax.”

Her protests quickly subsided after she felt the cool ointment on her skin, the remaining pain turning into a slight numbness. He continued massaging as she hummed in appreciation.

“Alrighty, that should feel good as new in a few days. But now we gotta get going, it's more than a half days ride back to Hyrule Castle.”

Zelda slowly blinked her eyes back open and then nodded back,

“Will your horse be able to carry both of us for that long?”

Link smirked back,

“Well you saw how Epona kept up with Ganon’s steed. She's strong and more than used to the long days at the ranch s a working draft horse after all…”

He looked back at his steed in genuine love and pride. By Din, that horse is as responsible for Hyrule’s freedom as he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try to update chapters whenever I can, I already have the next 2 chapters mostly done- just some revisions and edits... Tell me what you think of the story so far- Thanks!


	2. Back in Ordon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link spends some time back home while Zelda catches up with an old friend...

**Chapter 2- Back in Ordon**

The sun began to descend on the small town of Ordon. The young children who had been kidnapped had been returned home just a few short days prior. Rusl was just carrying a bundle of firewood on his left shoulder and a basketful of fish and various greens on his right. He was nearing his home, his wife and newborn child when he heard a familiar set of hooves. The firewood fell to the ground and he set the basket on a nearby stump,

“Link!”

The shout brought the villagers outside as Link rode in from the north, galloping at a full sprint…

**\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

She wished he was still here.

It was selfish, she knew it was and she didn’t care.

_ Just take a deep breath, he said he would be gone less than a month. _

It’s not that she didn’t understand why he needed to visit Ordon, she did. Zelda just wished she could talk to somebody again. She missed how free their conversations were- by Nayru she hated the bloody nobles in Castle Town.

_ Oh, you wouldn’t believe the deer I slew last week.... _

And,

_ Now why would they let Sir Robard in this gala- he barely has enough rupees to hold onto his own estate.... _

She bitterly imagined their shallow conversations in a mocked high-pitched voice. She knew that they would have all happily taken any of the rewards Link refused to have. The only thing she managed to convince him to take was a small manor in Faron and the role of Captain of the Royal Guard. It was a position, militarily speaking, second only to the throne itself. She thought of her pathetic army at the start of the invasion. Not that the armed forces would have stood a chance against the twilight- but they should have at least fought back. The last Captain, Sir Hugo, was a cowardly man who sweet-talked his way into the position. His trooped followed his lead and begged for their life to Zant’s forces. Now Link on the other hand, would be a fantastic new Captain- one who would establish honor and discipline back into her majesty’s royal forces.

At least she still had lunch with her childhood friend Alice from Nabooru later today. She had scarcely talked to any of her friends since before the invasion. The invasion had only lasted a few months but she was still shocked by how little communication she had with the outside world. Most people didn’t even know that that _ usurper _ was living in the castle, they just felt the darkness of the twilight and had lost the will to do anything but hide. Apparently it seemed that the invasion had only affected the capital and the surrounding provinces were left safe until after the capital had been fully taken over . It was mind-blowing to think that some of the people in her kingdom lived their daily lives blissfully unaware of the doom that almost befell them. One of her handmaids knocked on her door to inform her that Alice was here and that Lunch was waiting…

The meal was going quite well and Alice was full of questions,

“So we knew that something dreadful was happening, luckily Zant was stopped by Zellie!”

“I know, I thank the goddesses daily for the Hero stopping the invasion.”

“So where is this “_ hero _” anyways, he seems like quite the guy- is he one of the knights in your army?”

Zelda paused, she imagined Link being from a noble background, knighted for political reasons, and shuddered. She was so glad the whole regiment was being reworked as soon as he came back,

“Link is actually a young man from a small village a few hours to the south of here. No one knew of him before the invasion…”

Alice stared back in amazement,

“A commoner?! Well clearly he must be something special to be chosen by the goddesses.”

Zelda thought about him, his sweet, gentle demeanor, stellar courage and swordsmanship, rugged good looks… Zelda had never been one to ogle at the handsome young men at social events like her friends. It seemed so childish and foreign when she had such a heavy responsibility of running a country on her shoulders. However, the more time she spent with the Hero she couldn’t deny that his features were definitely appealing…

“Zelda… I know that look, and I’ve never seen you wear it. What exactly do you think of this Hero??” Alice interrupted.

“Oh, its nothing. I just… nevermind.”

“Come on Zellie, is he really that handsome?”

“What! No, no, no. I’m far too old to be doing this with you.”

“You’re almost nineteen, why don’t you ask him out?”

Zelda’s eyes went wide in horror, she had mastered diplomacy and how to debate with the council and foreign ambassadors. This topic was one she was nowhere near mastering…

“Thank you for lunch Alice, it was lovely catching up. I must be off, late for a meeting with some councilmen…”

She quickly stood up and left the room while Alice stood by in shock.

**\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

“Hey, come inside Link, dinner is almost ready dear.”

Link wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, as he called back to Uli,

“One second, let me finish chopping for tonight!”

Ordon had been nice, he had been home for 6 days now and spending a lot of time helping Rusl and Uli with their new baby. It was peaceful and calming, but he still felt restless, the general need to roam around that had moderately affected him before was now burning constantly. He missed the wind in his face and the heat of battle…

“Son, me and Uli would like to discuss a few things with you when you have a moment,” Rusl told Link before he walked inside.

Link spent a few more minutes chopping the rest of the wood, then washed his face and entered the small home where he had spent most of his childhood.

“So what did you want to discuss?” asked Link as he slid off his sandals and took a seat at the table.

Uli walked over to him and started fixing his hair, like when he was young and then placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Me and Rusl have noticed something has been different with you and we wanted to see what we could do to help,” she offered.

“I don't know guys,” he hesitated,

“I guess it just doesn't feel the same anymore. I just don’t know how much longer I can stay in Ordon, it’s too quiet…”

“You miss battle, don’t you son?” remarked Rusl.

“What! Why’d you say something like that dear?!”

“No, he’s right, uhhh… kind of. I don’t really know how to explain,” interupted Link.

Rusl stepped forward and put his arm around him,

“Give us one moment dear, I’m going to go on a short walk with Link…”

Their talk was surprisingly helpful and he was getting Epona ready for the journey back to the castle. Link was just packing his saddlebags when he felt someone crash into him from behind and wrap their arms tightly around his torso.

“How do you always manage to sneak up on me like that Ilia?”

“Nevermind that! Why are you leaving so soon?! You said at least a month!”

After talking with Rusl, Link realized that training the soldiers would be a great way to release stress. He wanted to do something to keep helping Hyrule.

“Hey, hey! I’ll be back soon- I just need to start training the soldiers at the castle, there are still threats to Hyrule every day!”

“Okay then, but you better be back soon,” she pouted.

He raised his hand to cover his heart,

“I, Link Ordona, promise to return soon.” he teased,

“Now Ilia, I gotta get going, I don’t want to get there too long after dark.”

She hugged him one last time along with all the other villagers before he set off to the looming city on the horizon...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was the next chapter! Please tell me how you think the story is going so far and any improvements I could make- Thanks!!


	3. Life in Castle Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link is beginning to get comfortable with his new life, he's even made friends within the castle...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys, I realized I was saying Commander a lot in the last chapter when I met Captain- Zelda is technically the commander of all of Hyrule's armed forces while Link is only the Captain of the Royal Guard (the guards in the nation's cities, as well as the standing army of Hyrule). Anyways, I edited last chapter to be more consistent and made sure this one aligns with my head-cannon. Thanks for reading!!

**Chapter 3- Life in Castle Town**

Link had been serving as Captain of the Royal Guard for 5 weeks now, he had all his soldiers demoted to standard conscripts and based any potential officers on merit. Quite a few of his inferiors despised him, especially the noblemen who lost titles they had never even deserved in the first place. However, most of the army generally respected Sir Link, he didn’t play favorites and was an incredibly talented swordsman. He hadn’t been beaten in the dozens of practice duels he had been challenged to, and soon people stopped trying entirely. He humiliated many braggarts, but overall taught and improved his soldiers. When it came time to knight the select few members of her majesty’s army he made an incredibly controversial decision. He had chosen a woman to be knighted first, Madame Ashei. It infuriated many traditionalists in the higher classes but he didn’t care.

“She’s got more discipline than most of you and an arm to match- prove to me that you’d be a good as knight as she is and you’ll have the title in no time,” he yelled to those who vehemently opposed the decision.

Later, he had chosen only three more soldiers to be knighted. Sir Anselet, Sir Geoffrey, and Sir Deveraux. Geoffrey was a good and honest soldier, a man Link was happy to have at his back. Sir Anselet was hard-working and courageous- he wasn’t bad with a sword, but was a bit naive. Link quickly took a liking to him and elected him to be one of the knights in the royal guard. Sir Deveraux was also controversial as he was half-zoran. Link could care less about his ancestry- the only thing that mattered was that he was well-mannered and a darn fine soldier- his skill with a spear was nigh unmatched and he was a natural leader. Sir Richard would have also been on that list if it weren’t for his attitude. He was aggressive and obstinate- he constantly antagonized the other soldiers who misbehaved or broke conduct. Still, he was probably only second to Link in his swordsmanship and neglecting that skill would be foolhardy.

Rusl was right, the strict conduct of military lifestyle did wonders for his uneasiness. His men could find him nearly every morning training to keep in shape, and helping train the newer recruits was quite enjoyable. The only thing he wished for was to spend more time with the queen. They did occasionally share meals or discuss how reconstruction was going but she was the closest friend he had in Castle Town, but he felt her duties were too important for him to go interrupt her for less important things.

Currently, he was practicing his archery while thinking about Zelda when one of the queen’s own handmaidens tapped him on the shoulder.

“Uhh, Sir Link. Sorry to interrupt, but the queen has asked for your presence,” the young girl stammered.

“Yes, of course. Just give me a few moments to clean up lass.”

The handmaid nodded and rushed off. Link quickly washed off and hopped up the stairs towards the Royal Tower. The door guards nodded and greeted their captain, then promptly moved aside for Link to approach the door. He inhaled and momentarily closed his eyes before knocking firmly on the door.

“Yes? Who’s there?”

Link cleared his throat, then responded,

“Uhh, it Sir Link,” and hastitly added, “Your majesty.”

“Link! It’s been far too long! Come in, come in.”

He gingerly opened the door to see Zelda descending the stairs from her study, and she rushed to meet him. She held up her arms for a brief moment then offered her hand to him, face blushing slightly. He shook it readily and asked,

“So what did you want to discuss your highness?”

“First, how many times need I remind you that you can just call me Zelda- I do see us as equals you know…”

Link’s face flushed then he smiled back and murmured,

“Of course, Zelda, sorry…”

There was a brief moment of awkward silence as they both just stared at each other and then Zelda broke the silence,

“So, would you like to have a seat?”

“Of course,” answered Link before he took a seat in one of the chairs near the fireplace. Zelda motioned for one of her servants to prepare some tea and then sat down next to Link. After a few moments she spoke again, with deliberate and precise word choice,

“So Link, as I’m sure you are aware, the festival of colors is coming up and I was wondering if you would be interested in… accompanying me to the festival?”

“Uhh, yeah! That sounds quite fun… thank you.” he managed to get out.

“Okay, okay. That is good news. Well, I will uhh… let you get back to your umm, duties then, Sir Link.”

Zelda stood up and nodded, followed by Link standing up and quickly bowing in return,

“Yes of course, thank you my que- I mean Zelda.”

Zelda saw him turn and leave, she heard the door close, heard his footsteps get quieter until there was silence once more. She jumped as soon as she heard a clang hit the table behind her,

“Dreadfully sorry milady,” the handmaid exclaimed as she set down a platter with the tea cups and kettle, “Will Sir Link be joining you for tea this afternoon your highness?”

“I’m afraid he had more pressing matters with the Royal Guard he had to attend to. Thank you Rosanna, that will be all.”

With a small bow, she was gone and Zelda was left alone with her thoughts,

_ See that wasn’t too hard, now was it? _

She asked herself pacing around the front room of her tower,

_ It’s in less than two weeks, no need to constantly fret about it. Just don’t be weird, don’t be weird, oh! By Nayru- I was weird wasn’t I? That’s it, I need some fresh air… _

\------------------------------------------------------------

“Allo! Sir Link, Anselet said that he was looking for you…” Link heard Deveraux announce in his Zoran accent. Though not as strong as some of the zorans he encountered, Deveraux certainly was raised around the watery folk of Lake Hylia. You could hear it in the way he said “that” like “zat” and how he dropped the “H”s when he spoke.

“Oh? And where is he now Sir Deveraux?”

“In the eastern courtyard, near the corral.”

Link could guess exactly why Anselet would be asking for him if that’s where he was. Nevertheless, Link felt up for sparring right now. He needed something to focus on to distract himself from his own head, he was not ready for a Castle Town festival, let alone one with the Queen herself.

Sure enough, Link found Anselet sparring with Thomas, one of the newer Hylians in the ranks.

“Oi, Anselet! I heard you were looking for me?”

Sir Anselet held up his hands, motioning for Thomas to take a break, “Yeah, Link, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind sparring with me, teaching me a few techniques or so?”

“Sure, why not? Thomas, give us a chance in the corral, will ya?”

Thomas immediately saluted and then nodded in agreement.

“And that was some darn fine fighting you had going on there cadet,” Link added.

Thomas smiled in appreciation, “Thank you sir,” and hopped out of the corral to clean himself up...

After about 2 hours, Link was astounded. Anselet had half a dozen bruises on his body and a few possible broken fingers, but still was gesturing for another go.

“Anselet, look at your left eye! You can barely see, how are you still standing?!”

“Oh come on Captain, come at me again!”

Link was dumbfounded, although he had won most of their bouts Anselet did get a few hits in and was still itching to go. He was truly happy that his army was starting to seriously shape up,

“Oi, that’s enough. That was some of the best fighting I’ve seen out of you lot- and I won’t soon forget it. Now clean up, and go see the nurse!”

“Yessir!” Anselet responded as he hobbled his way over to barracks. Link was glad he had made the right choice with his knights. But now it was time to wash up and change- he had to visit a certain bar...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was the third chapter! Feel free to give me any suggestions, and I would love feedback on how to improve my writing! Thanks so much for getting this far on my story!


	4. Telma's Bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link asks Telma for help to learn how to not act like a fool for an upcoming festival and receives lessons from a surprising source.

**Chapter 4- Telma’s Bar**

  
  


Evening in the most popular bar in Castle Town was… Interesting. Laughing could be heard from far away, drinks spilling and getting chugged by the people of Castle Town after a hard day’s work. Commoners and nobles alike came to enjoy the night in the best tavern in Hyrule. Link opened the door to Telma’s and got assaulted by a wave of smells, sights and sounds. He saw a blacksmith and baker arm-wrestling as a small crowd cheered on and threw rupees at one another. He noticed Sir Geoffrey and Sir Deveraux drinking at a corner table and having what looked like a serious discussion. He stepped through the door and smelt a fat boar roasting in the firepit.

“Hey it’s Link!” yelled somebody at the bar unceremoniously.

“Link it’s good to see you!” he heard Telma’s voice behind a wave of men and women.

“Telma!”

The owner of the bar shoved past a few young farmers to get a good look at the Hero. 

“What can I help you with mi-dear?”

“Uhhh, I needed to talk to you, but I forgot what evenings were like at your place…”

“Is it urgent?”

“Not at all, it can wait till later.”

“Then have a drink and socialize, it’ll do good for you. We can talk after all the drunkards all pass out.”

He nodded in approval and asked for a noble pursuit. He pushed past some twins playing a lute and a fiddle and sat down next to Geoffrey and Deveraux.

“Evening gentlemen.”

“Eh! We got the Captain himself joining us tonight!” shouted Geoffrey.

Link laughed and took a swig of his drink, “So what were you lads discussing earlier?”

“Pfft,” groaned Deveraux, “Just a simpleton in our ranks…”

Link cocked his eyebrow in surprise. 

“It’s a nobleman who has been harassing any soldier who’s not pure human or hylian,” Geoffrey added.

Link growled in disgust, and demanded to know who it was.

“Wilson.”

Link was not happy, he hated the fact that there were people under his command that would act so disgusting. Deveraux placed a hand on his shoulder and comforted his friend,

“Easy Captain, you can scold him tomorrow. Enjoy the night, when’s the last time you spent the evening in a tavern.”

Link looked down, it was true he could chastise the private tomorrow- and he had never really enjoyed an evening like this. He started with arm wrestling one of his cadets, and then another and another. Then he got drunk enough to seriously challenge a nearby goron, which sported dozens of laughs from the crowd. This match he did not win, but he was laughing too much too care. Then, the crowd pushed together a few tables and a girl Link recognized as one of Zelda’s handmaids grabbed one of his cadets- a young countryman named James, and started dancing on top of the tables. The bardic twins played louder and the whole room started clapping their hands in beat. The couple was moving so quickly- Link was astounded. They spun and kicked and moved with such rhythm the crowd couldn't look away. After a few more hours of antics, the bar finally settled down as people left or slumped over in their chairs.

“Now what did you want to discuss lad?” asked Telma as she helped an old fellow out of the bar while he rubbed his eyes in confusion.

“Well, I need your advice on an entirely foreign matter to me…” Link began.

“Alrighty, what can I do for you?”

“Earlier today Zelda asked me if I would attend the festival of colors with her? I’ve no idea how to dance or what to do, or what to wear, or how to act!”

Telma started chuckling to herself, and then placed a hand on Link’s shoulder,

“Lad, I know exactly how you feel- a farm boy in the city, no idea of etiquette or how to court that sweet lass. I still remember when Pierre asked me to that first gala…” she trailed off, smiling as she wiped down the counter and cleared out some glasses.

Link went bright red and stuttered, “Hey, I didn’t say I was courting the, the queen!”

More laughter from Telma, “Course ya didn’t. Now get some rest, I’ll teach you a thing or two tomorrow morning…”

  
  


Link rolled over in his cot and groaned when he saw the sun. He almost always woke up at least an hour before sunrise to start training but this morning his head was on fire. He was a month away from turning eighteen, this was his first time spending a night out drinking. He only had two or three drinks but he felt awful. He slowly got up and immediately rushed to the window and puked. Luckily he had a room with a window facing away from Castle Town…

Link arrived at Telma’s bar less than an hour, bathed and dressed in casual attire. He opened the door to see Telma at the bar with… Shad?

_ What is that scholar doing here, this can’t be part of Telma’s plan… _

“Sir Link, so happy you could finally join us,” teased the owner of the bar.

“Greetings Sir Link, likewise I am overjoyed that you were able to find extra time today” added Shad.

“So what’s the plan here Telma?” barked Link.

“Luckily, I happen to know one of the best ballroom dancers in Hyrule- and he is very excited to teach you what he knows.”

Link just stared in bewilderment…

“Well… are you going to say “thank you”?”

“Of, of course… Thank you Shad- I had no idea this was one of your areas of... expertise.”

“You are most certainly welcome. For exercise, my father had me practice waltzing at least thrice a week.”

“Naturally.”

“So as I’m sure you know- the festival of colors begins with a parade around Castle Town, there is generally a lot of folk dancing involved. Are you familiar with that style of dance?”

“Yeah, thankfully. We occasionally had dances back in Ordon.”

“Excellent, I can make sure you’re up to date later tonight at the bar when the twins come to perform. The second piece of the festival is when the parade reaches the castle and the courtyards and ballrooms are completely open to the public. A full arrangement will be there to perform various classics, partners will waltz to this music.”

“I gotta admit- you lost me there Shad.”

He smiled and nodded to Telma, “That’s why I’m here, to teach you the beautiful art of the waltz!” 

Telma pulled out a large phonograph and placed a brass disc on the machine and gestured to Link to move closer to Shad, who had his arms outstretched.

“That’s it Link, yes right hand in my left and place your left right here-”

“Here?”

“Yes, right there on my shoulder, umm a little closer to your right- yes there, and Telma… start the music.”

She was silently laughing to herself and shaking her head at how silly the scene looked. She chuckled again and started the music.

“Now Link, I’m having you dance the woman’s part so you can follow my lead- then I will show you how to lead after you’ve had some practice.”

Link nodded and grimaced slightly,

_ This is going to be excruciating… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading my story! I am at a bit of crossroads at which direction to take the story first for the chapter after next but I should still have it finished pretty quickly. As usual- I would love any feedback you guys feel like offering, see you next chapter!


	5. An Afternoon in the Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link leaves his dancing lessons only to find the afternoon has more in store for him than he thought...

**Chapter 5- An Afternoon in the Castle**

Link was absolutely exhausted after his lessons with Shad.

_ Who knew dancing could be this tiring?! _

Shad had him practicing proper poise and manner, showed him how to act around nobility, and how not to act “like a total ruffian.” He even taught him a few phrases in Zoran, since apparently the nobles went wild for that sort of stuff. In dancing, there was more footwork involved than even swordplay, and near as much physical exertion. As much as it pained him to admit it, they were more similar than he realized. But now he was on his way to check on his soldiers before more lessons later that night at Telma’s.

“Aaargh!”

Link sprinted ahead to see one guard, fist raised high, rush another guard and miss just to the left and tumble to the ground. A crowd of soldiers, who had gathered around the pair in the southern courtyard, moved aside to dodge the man. He instantly recognized Sir Richard as the guard who had side-stepped the other’s swing. Mud was smeared across the other man’s face from his fall, but he still tried to see who it was,

_ Is that Finlay? No… Wilson. _

Link remembered him as the bigot Deveraux was complaining about. Suddenly, Wilson raced towards Richard to swing again, Richard easily blocked the crude punch and jabbed him in the nose. Wilson wiped blood from his face and snarled before jumping on Richard. This clearly surprised him as both men crashed to the ground, Wilson punching his face with the bottom of his fist. Richard shoved him off and they both started wrestling. By now, Link had descended the stairs to the courtyard and he was fast approaching the group.

“Hey! Separate them, now!” he howled at the men.

“Right away Captain,” they shouted in unison as they grabbed the pair.

“What in Din’s name is going on here?!”

Sir Richard cleared his throat to speak,

“Don’t you dare,” warned Link,

“Let me hear from a bystander!”

“Captain, Wilson was harassing Mikiba and Richard shoved him. Wilson swung at him and they both just went at it.”

“Richard, Wilson- Attention!”

The two men stood straight and placed their right hand in a fist over their heart- the Hyrulean salute. Link was fuming, Mikiba was a goron and a good man, this was the second time he heard of Wilson acting idiotic in as many days. Richard had been too hot-headed as well, regardless of his intentions. Neither man was acting very becoming for some of Hyrule’s finest. The pair was covered in mud and bleeding in several places, Richard’s right eye was starting to go black.

“Wilson, you should know to never antagonize a fellow Hyrulean based on any idiotic notions of race. You’ll spend the night in the dungeons for that- and Henderson, tell the quartermaster to dock his pay for the next two weeks. You’re suspended.”

The crowd stared in shock, this was the first real punishment Link dished out, the first time it was really necessary.

“Dismissed! And Richard, this behaviour isn’t suited for any guard- let alone someone who wants to be knighted. You’re on thin ice. Now go clean yourself up, you’re filthy.”

He turned to the rest of the men,

“Farore help the next man who does anything out of line, now clear out!”

About 20 minutes later Link was rushing towards the stables, he needed some fresh air.

“Hey, Captain!” Sir Anselet yelled as he jogged ahead to catch up to Link.

“Make it quick Anselet, it’s been a long day.”

“I heard what happened with Wilson, I’m sorry you had to do that.”

“Yeah, real unfortunate,” he said sarcastically.

“Hey listen Captain, I just wanted to see if there was anything I can do to help and to see if you’re doing alright?”

Link stopped walking and took a deep breath,

“Anselet, I appreciate that, I really do. But right now, I need to go clear my head. If you want to help, I’d be grateful if you could go to Telma’s and tell Shad that I won’t make it tonight.”

“Sure thing, have a good evening Captain.”

“Thank you Anselet.”

The long walk to the stables did good to calm his troubled mind, he could feel his heart rate dropping and was beginning to finally calm down. Link was just arriving at the stables when he heard a familiar voice. He looked ahead to see Zelda and a noblewoman he hadn’t seen before dismounting their horses.

“Evening my queen,” he said with a bow, a slight smile forming.

She turned around and smiled back, “Link, how are you?”

Link remembered his lessons with Shad over court manners and decided to take a knee. He took off his right glove and grabbed Zelda’s hand to give it a quick kiss before responding,

“I am well, thank you Zelda.”

Her face went red and she stood there for a moment before blurting out,

“Oh where are my manners? Link, this is Alice. Alice this is Sir Link, Captain of the Royal Guard here in the Castle.”

Alice smiled at him as he turned to kiss her hand as well.

“Alice, ravie de faire votre connaissance,” he said using the zoran way of “nice to meet you”.

Alice giggled and curtseyed in return, “Likewise Sir Link.”

“So where were you two riding around?”

“Oh, Alice is in town again from Nabooru, we were just enjoying an afternoon by Lake Hylia.”

“That does sound quite nice,” he remarked.

“So where are you off to then Link?” asked Alice.

“I’m just getting some fresh air outside of the castle is all.”

“Good luck then, and be safe out there Link,” Zelda urged.

“Naturally,” Link responded with a bow before turning away to the stables. He hopped on Epona and was soon out of the gates. The two women were alone again.

“Wow, he seemed great. He had a glove on his left hand so I couldn’t see if he had a ring, is the good Captain married perchance?” inquired Alice casually.

Zelda laughed, the thought seemed silly, “No, the Hero is still quite single…”

Alice stared in amazement, “That's the hero?! I thought you said he was a commoner?”

“I did.”

“He spoke like quite the gentlemen though.”

“Yes, I was also taken aback. His tone and word choice is normally much more casual. And where in Hylia’s name did he learn zoran?”

Alice started snickering and commented, “Well he is definitely quite handsome nonetheless, what do the noblewomen think of him?”

Zelda shook her head and sighed, “You have no idea, I feel like he constantly has a pack of handmaidens or noble girls following him. And despite all his vigilance and prowess as a warrior, I feel like he still has no idea half the bachelorettes in Castle Town are vying for his attention.”

“It’s not surprising, the men here are mostly arrogant old cods. Then this handsome young lad shows up who saved all of Hyrule and is single, no wonder they go crazy for him…”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


Link had spent the rest of the evening at the lakeside catching fish and prepping a place to sleep and cook for the night. He had kept the two biggest bass from the lot and threw the smaller ones back. He had then taken a small hatchet from his waist and built up quite a supply of firewood for the night. He had basted the fish in some sunflower oil and added crushed sea salt along with some onion powder and lemon pepper from his saddlebags. He threw in some fresh mushrooms he had found nearby and had soon finished his meal and felt quite content. Luckily, he had managed to grab some apples from a tree on the way there and gave Epona a treat while he brushed her mane and tail.

“Yeah, good girl. I bet you are so tired of the same hay everyday that they feed you in Castle Town. I’ll definitely come by more often and take you out for rides.”

Epona whinnied in appreciation, Link had heard she gave the stablehands quite a bit of trouble. He wasn’t surprised, back in Ordon Link was about the only person she fully trusted. He decided to play his ocarina while he enjoyed the starlight and the dim remnants of his fire. After his eyes started to feel heavy he laid out his bedroll and fell asleep for the night.

In the morning Link packed up his gear and began the ride back to the castle. In less than an hour he was back and decided to head to the southern courtyard again to get in some more training...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys! Here's the latest chapter, this one focuses a bit more on Link- Don't worry next chapter will definitely have more content from Zelda's perspective. Thanks for reading!!!


	6. Shopping in the Marketplace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link spends another day with Hyrule's favorite scholar, that is after he gets some training in...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm so sorry it took me so long to come update this. I spent almost 3 weeks in California and I just didn't have time or a computer to work on this. But don't worry- I am still very dedicated to this story. Unfortunately for this story, I will be leaving September 10th to spend 2 years in Brazil and so I won't be able to do any writing till I get back. But, I plan to cram out as many chapters as I can before I leave! Anyways here's the next chapter of "Life after the Invasion"...

**Chapter 6- Shopping in the Marketplace**

Link had returned to the courtyard to find that Ashei had returned from a recent patrol. He was glad to see her back, it meant the patrol had gone well and now he had his best knight back in the Castle. The patrols had been him and Zelda’s ideas when traders had expressed fear of travelling along roads that still harbored bulblins and bokoblins. The patrols had been succeeding in showing the citizens that the government cared for their needs, and that the invasion was really over.

“So how was the patrol Ashei?”

“You’re here late,” was all she said in response.

Link ran forward to greet her and she shook his hand as they both laughed. The handshake was very unusual for a woman- it wasn’t the delicate hand touching of the nobles. They grabbed each others forearm in a good squeeze like the soldiers often did. With their right arms still touching, Link placed his left hand firmly on Ashei’s pauldron.

“It’s good to have you back.”

She nodded back, “Eh, agreed. Now I heard you had a little personnel issue in my absence.”

Link just shook his head and groaned as he stared into the sky as he thought about the Wilson incident.

“Hey, say you to a bout to clear your head?” Ashei suggested.

Link smiled and grabbed his sword. Ashei might be the only person in Castle Town who could keep him on his toes. While most of the men were definitely stronger, he wouldn’t be able to use any easy tricks to win. Her stance and form were always nigh impeccable and she was darn near impossible to disarm. She made sure her attacks didn’t leave her too open and she was very proficient at her feints. This was going to be fun…

\------------------------------------------------------------

Zelda had been studying some recent letters she had received from a diplomat from Lurelin all morning. The letters were about some shellfish tariffs and recent trade regulations and she was looking for a way to peacefully sort out a resolution that would benefit both Hyrule and the small fishing province. She looked up from her book on trade taxes when she noticed that it was nearly afternoon already. She decided to go on a walk for a brief respite from diplomacy and ended up near one of the encampments. She could hear the guards training down below and shook her head in disbelief. This was a very hot day, especially for the middle of autumn, yet the men persisted. She glanced down and her breath hitched when she noticed who it was. Link was practicing his swordplay with a dummy and he was shirtless…

_ Oh Nayru, how is a ranch boy so muscular? _

She tried to look nonchalant, but her eyes were rested firmly on the dazzling scene in front of her. The boy she had been eyeing for weeks was wearing only shorts and sweat was pouring down his chiseled form. Soon however, she got incredibly nervous someone would notice her and so she continued walking briskly along the parapet.

_ Zelda, you are in way over your head… _

\----------------------------------------------------------------

After Link had finished dueling Ashei, he went to go practice some of the moves he saw her employ. He had still won, but it was too close, far too close for him to be comfortable with. Soon, the sun was just too miserable and so he removed his tunic and undershirt. While not strictly proper, his soldiers wouldn’t care and they were busy practicing drills anyways. After a few hours of exercise a courier told him Shad wanted to go shopping that evening for the festival of colors. Link got quickly changed and washed up, then he headed to go find the scholar.

Shopping was taking much longer than Link anticipated, even for Shad. Link spotted a durable chest of brigandine.

“Hey, this looks pretty nice, huh?”

“Well that depends if you will be dancing or marching off to war.”

“Oh come on! I would at least get mail and probably some scaled or plate for war Shad.”

He grabbed Link by his shoulders from behind and steered him towards some tall boots and hosen. “Try these on,” he ordered as he handed Link a plethora of various colored hosen and a few canvas boots that went above his knee.

A few hours later and they were in their eighth shop. Link groaned in response to a hat Shad proposed, “Why are there so many colors Shad?!”

“It’s the festival of colors, no? And all we have left is to find a suitable tunic and cap to complete the outfit.”

Link was clad in some dark grey hosen with tall white and yellow boots on. He had on a long red undershirt and an orange belt that would go over everything.

“Oh Link, try this tunic on!” Shad demanded as he handed him a royal blue tunic.

Link eyed the garment, green had really grown on him after the invasion, but these deep hues were quite intriguing. He slipped the tunic over his shirt and both the shopkeeper and Shad gasped.

“Wow Link, that blue is fantastic.”

Link actually smiled when he looked in the mirror- though the rest of the ensemble was ridiculous, this color did have a special feeling to it. Shad grabbed a cap to match and Link started to pull out his wallet when the shopkeeper protested,

“No, no, no! Free of charge for the great Hero himself!”

Link took a deep breath, he felt terrible that he hadn’t paid for any of his clothes all day. As they were leaving, he discreetly left a purple rupee on the windowsill.

“Oh I know!” Shad exclaimed as they were leaving the marketplace. “You should wear that tunic to Sir Nicholaus’s birthday party tomorrow!”

Link scratched the back of his head in hesitation, “I dunno Shad…”

“Come now, you can practice your manners before the festival and try out that tunic over your normal garb for his party. The Queen should be there too.”

“If it will help my manners, then I guess…” Link responded reluctantly. 

“Fantastic!” Shad shouted as he frantically shook Link’s hand. The scholar bowed goodbye and headed towards the Castle.

Link didn’t know about this whole party business, the nobles’ parties had never been fun in the past. He was always being assaulted by praise and questions by people he had never even met. They treated him like this legendary being and always asked him to join them for various activities. Link had always politely declined, using his duties as Captain of the Royal Guard as an excuse. Also, why do they insist on celebrating their birthdays in the first place. The concept seemed entirely foreign to him as he had been found by Rusl in Faron woods around five years of age. No one knew how old he really was, he just made up a day to keep track of how many years he’d been around for.

Despite all this, the prospect of spending the evening with the Queen herself was hard to pass up. He had never really cared that much about girls in the past. True, he would sometimes imagine living out in the country with a nomadic girl and raising a bunch of kiddos to keep him company. But, that was just a silly daydream- he always ended up drawing on reality. He figured he would either end up settling down with Ilia when she came of age, or perhaps moving to another village and marrying another country girl. That was all before the invasion changed his life. The experiences he had obtained ensured that he had virtually any options available to him. He had also noticed that there always seemed to be girls following him around the Castle. He was bewildered as to what they could want with him anyhow. Maybe something about the royal guard?

When he had first met the princess, even in wolf form, he had noticed how striking her features were. He hadn’t really thought about his imaginary nomadic girl since he had met Zelda. Somehow the idea of another woman seemed less and less appealing. The queen was one of the first fellow Hylians he had met, and he quite enjoyed the way she looked. He had occasionally read books that Uli or Ilia had about romance. Link had always scoffed at the men would would flatter the women in the books about “how fair they were.” He had figured the best way to court a woman is to explain how much land you own and your occupation. Lately, though some of the silliness he read about seemed like a good idea. Whenever he thought about the queen his stomach would flutter around and it was hard not to smile. He had been thinking about getting her a gift, but felt stupid thinking about what she could possibly want. She was a Queen, she had everything- what could he offer?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoyed it! I know this chapter didn't have a lot of action or dramatic scenes, but I felt like Link deserved a quiet, albeit not entirely relaxing day. The next chapter will be about the party the following day and I promise to include a lot of Link/Zelda interaction. Thank you so much, see you soon!


	7. Sir Nicholaus’s Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link decides to attend a social outing that Zelda will be attending- it's way out of his comfort zone...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys- this chapter is a bit longer than usual. I just didn't want to cut off the chapter unnaturally- Anyways, thanks so much for reading!

**Chapter 7- Sir Nicholaus’s Party**

  
  


Ezolph was having a wonderful day, the best in weeks. He had just gotten paid that morning and got a bonus for “heroic actions” when he saved some travellers on a patrol. Then during a mock battle, he had poured a half dozen water barrels down a set of stairs and washed the enemy team into his friends without a single casualty. His Captain, Sir Link, had witnessed his resourcefulness and congratulated him for “thinking outside the box,” and that “Acting like that is how a farm-boy stopped the invasion.”

His best friend Finlay and him were eating some meaty rice balls when he got a letter from his Zoran girlfriend Yvette. She explained that she would be spending the next two weeks in Hyrule Castle and she would be arriving tomorrow! Him and Yvette had been dating for a while now and he figured he better stop dragging his feet and should ask for her hand. He decided the best course of action would be to go buy an engagement ring with his extra rupees, and that he should get it before she arrives. Ezolph had just waved goodbye to Finlay and opened the door to the jewellery shop when he saw a familiar person in the store.

“Uhhh, greetings Captain,” he stammered when he saw Sir Link walking towards the exit holding a golden necklace. Link quickly shoved the necklace into his belt bag and stared back at him.

“Yes, good afternoon, Sir..?” his face blushed slightly and he snapped his fingers in concentration.

“Ezolph”

“Yes, yes. Sir Ezolph. Nice to see you. I was just… well you know… just looking, it’s not even for anybody. I mean, uhhh… its nothing, nevermind. I… I have to go, bye.” Link stuttered before he rushed out of the store, leaving Ezolph to stand there, dumbfounded.

Link shaked his head in exasperation, 

_ Why am I so nervous? _

The old man who ran the store just seemed so calm and nonchalant, it wasn’t bad talking to him. But when he ran into Ezolph he suddenly remembered he had to actually give a gift to Zelda and the thought terrified him. When it came to monsters or certain peril, Link felt calm and collected. He would analyze the situation and wait for the moment to strike- panic would only get him killed, his war instincts were in his blood. However for some reason, in romantic endeavors his legs turned to jelly and he could barely speak…

\-----------------------------

Link felt enormously silly. Whenever he was forced into a social outing, he always wore whatever he had on before. This ranged from casual clothes to chain mail, and mostly comfortable, breathable fabric- like the outfit he wore when he was “The Hero”. Now, he sported some tan hose and the royal blue tunic he had bought with Shad. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The clothes weren’t why he was having second thoughts about going.

Link wanted to go to see Zelda, he just always felt great whenever she was near. At the same time, he felt like he needed to be more presentable. He paid constant attention to his hair, his clothes, even what his breath smelled like. It was ridiculous! Still, he told Shad he would be there and so Link decided he would keep his word. He patted his pocket and felt that the small box was still there, then he stood up and left his quarters. He had gotten around a few hallways and staircases when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

“Oi Link, wait up fellow!” came the voice of Sir Legault, one of the few nobles Link could stomach being around.

“How are you Legault?” Link called back as he waited for him to catch up.

“I am well, thank you kind Sir.”

“Pfft,” Link scoffed as he shook his head, “ _ Kind Sir…” _

“What, you don’t like my pleasantries?” answered Legault with a smile.

Link laughed, “Hey, are you going to the party for Nicholaus?”

“I am, I wasn’t aware that you were well-acquainted with the good Baronet.”

“I don’t even recognize his name, Shad just told me to go so I can practice the manners he taught me…”

“Hahaha, Shad?!”

“I know, I know,” Link grumbled back.

Before too long, the pair had made it to Sir Nicholaus’s estate. His party was both on the grounds and in his manor, Link could hear the music from the entrance gates. The guards nodded to Link and Legault as they opened the gates to let the gentlemen enter.

“Just act confident,” Legault whispered to him.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re the Hero who saved Hyrule. You’re quiet, mysterious and handsome. Almost everyone here loves you, just act like it. Trust me.”

“If you insist…”

They joined a group of nobles and Link tried being part of the conversation. Legault was right, whenever he spoke people listened in. It was a little unsettling- he didn’t enjoy being the center of attention. Still, he needed to practice his conversational skills and build his rapport. Shad was right though, it started to come a little more naturally as he practiced. After about half an hour of socializing he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Queen Zelda looking at him.

“Link! I didn’t know you were going to be here,” she smiled at him.

He swiftly bowed in return, “Of course, I had to congratulate Baronet Nicholaus.”

She giggled, then extended her arm out, “Would you care to accompany me to get a drink?”

Link nodded and grinned, before walking over to her and pushing his elbow out for her to grab.

“So apparently, you’ve been chatting up the nobles quite a bit tonight.”

“Where did you get that Zelda?”

She laughed and avoided the question, “Well your normal attitude is to be quiet and stand back, then leave at the first opportunity.”

Link turned red, “Well I’m just a goat herder! I didn’t expect any of these nobles to care about what I had to say…”

Zelda shoved him playfully, she was acting a little more forward than usual. Link was going to say something when he noticed one of the drinks on the table.

“Is that purple Chu jelly?!” he blurted.

“Hahahaha,” Zelda bent over laughing, “Wow, I suppose you would now about it- the army only keeps red jelly, the randomness of the purple jelly isn’t fit for soldiers. Really adventurous nobles take their chances on the stuff as a party trick.”

Link stared in amazement, he’d seen the stuff heal him completely or make him feel like he was dead. He normally stayed as far away from it as possible.

_ Why would anyone willingly do that?! _

Zelda looked at the glass jar with glossy eyes, “I’ve never touched the stuff- want to take a sip?”

Link pulled her away from it, “No, no we do not your majesty. Come on, let’s go meet back up with Legault.”

“Wait wait” she stammered as she grabbed a glass of wine from the table, “I’m thirsty.”

Link eyed the drink, “How strong is that stuff?”

She shrugged, “Hey, I am so tired of all the intricacies of running the kingdom- I deserve a little break.”

Link’s eyes went wide, Zelda was normally so well-mannered. He had never seen her be so carefree and confident before. She already had her left arm around him as she downed the wine with her right. She placed the glass on the tray of a nearby handservant. They continued out of the manor and out into the grounds. They ran into Legault nearby a large fountain,

He bowed and raised an eyebrow at Link, “My Queen, Sir Link- how are you?”

Zelda beamed back, “Fantastic!”

She then burped, and then broke out into a fit of giggles as she clutched Link’s arm for support. Link stared back incredulously as he tried to keep her upright.

“Are you alright Zelda?”

She looked and smiled, “Never better.”

Legault was laughing and walked over to help Link support Zelda.

“Glad to see you’re enjoying yourself, your highness.”

Link suddenly remembered the gift he had brought. He decided to keep it tonight, he didn’t want to give it to Zelda when she was inebriated. Suddenly, a housecarl approached them,

“Sir Link, a few of the men are organising an archery contest and they sent me to see if you would be interested.”

“I don’t know…” he began.

He then noticed Legault slowly mouthing, “BE CONFIDENT…”

Link took a deep breath, then responded, “Uh yeah, I would be honored.”

As they neared the group of nobles waiting for the course to be set up, they heard cheers. Link already didn’t like it- there was far too many people. He hated showing off his skills- any skills he had he liked to use for teaching, not bragging. About six men had already shot when someone pushed him towards the front and urged,

“Show us what you got Link!”

Link shook his head and he took a bow from one of the servants, definitely out of his comfort zone…

He let out a deep breath and pulled the bow a few times to get a feel for its weight. Some of the other men laughed at him after they shot without hesitation. Link didn’t care- battles weren’t about who struck first. He grabbed an arrow then pulled the string back. A quick exhale, inhale, and then as he was breathing out he let the arrow fly.

“Ooooooh!”

He had hit about an inch below the center, on the furthest target as well. “Sorry folks, I’m just getting used to this new bow…”

The crowd howled in laughter- most of the onlookers looked pretty tipsy.

_ What am I doing, pandering to a crowd like this? _

The man next to Link chuckled and elbowed him, “lucky shot- beat this.”

The man shot a middle ring of the second closest target, he was about 5 inches to the left of center. Link immediately shot and hit the fletchings off the man’s arrow, and the crowd went wild.

“Ooops,” Link mused.

He then took a deep breath and then hit perfect center. He elbowed the other man back playfully, and then commented, “Probably another lucky shot…”

He set the bow down and walked back to the crowd when Zelda shot forward and embraced him. She lifted her feet up so he had to hold on tight to support her weight. She suddenly pecked him on the lips, he set her back down and was blushing hard. Zelda threw one hand up in the air and shouted “Whoo hoo!” She took his hand and yanked him along with the rest of the excited crowd…

\--------------------------

Zelda felt herself being carried, her weight pressed against the chest of another person. 

_ I was at a party at Sir Nicholaus’s. What happened? Where am I? _

Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Link carrying her. He glanced down and saw that her eyes were open.

“Hey, you’re awake again,” he murmured.

She giggled in response, “What happened?”

“I set you down for a second and when I looked again, you were out. I don’t think there’s a proper way to take the monarch back to their quarters so I figured I could carry you.”

“Well that’s very nice of the cutest guy in Hyrule.”

He went red, “Uhhh, Zelda you just need some rest.”

She closed her eyes, “Maybe, maybe…” Then her eyes shot back open as she remembered something. She placed her hand on Link’s cheek, he inhaled sharply as she leaned up to whisper in his ear.

“I saw you shirtless yesterday…”

He almost fell over, “You what?!”

She started chuckling again, “And I thought some very unqueenly thoughts too, but those are secret…” she said in a sing-songy voice.

“Okay, I think you are really tired and just need some rest, your majesty.”

“You know I hate that all those girls constantly follow you,” she suddenly remarked.

“And why is that?” Link nonchalantly asked, his voice shaking slightly.

“Because I’m worried that you’ll notice one of them and date them- and I wouldn’t like that at all!”

“And why wouldn’t you like it?”

She suddenly punched him, “SECRETS, remember. I get to keep some stuff inside my head.”

Link laughed and she started pouting, “You’re making fun of me…”

“No, no, no. I just… remembered something funny Legault told me.”

“Oh yeah? What is it then?”

“Uhhh, I’ll tell you later. How about you tell me about some of the great trade deals your great great grandpa did?”

“You’re interested in history??”

“Yup, tell me all about it,” he commanded.

She started stating some of the notable trades of her great great grandfather’s reign when soon the rocking back of forth of Link’s walking and the alcohol caught up with her. She was snoring for the rest of the walk back up to her tower and Link left her on her bed and returned back to his quarters...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I should probably mention that one of my favorite fanfics is Villainous and Devious by "Darcie1" on fanfiction.net. I just wanted to mention this because that's where I got the name Legault from- I always try to make sure my work and its characters are OC, but I just really loved the character Darcie set up in her story, so I used it as inspiration. I would 100% recommend to read all of her stories- and I hope it wasn't wrong to use one of her characters as inspiration for my writing. I always strive to just use my own head-cannon that I've come up with across the years, but we all kinda subconsciously incorporate what we've seen into the things we create. Anyways, I'm leaving in 6 days so I'm hoping to write 3-5 more chapters before I'm gone- thanks for reading!


	8. Headache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda wakes up with little memory of Sir Nicholaus's party, too bad hangovers almost always accompany a night of revelry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!! I’m so happy to be back and updating this again! So I was gone in Brazil without a computer so I wasn’t able to add more content until I got back to the states with this whole pandemic thing. I’m super grateful for anyone that’s taking time out of their day to read something that I wrote- it’s crazy! Don’t worry- I have a bunch planned out for this story and some stuff already written out, it takes me a while to finally decide when something is good enough to post so it should be at least a few days between chapters but stay tuned! If you’re liking this story or have anything in mind that I could do better- let me know down in the comments! Anyways, here’s the latest chapter of Life after the Invasion- enjoy!

Chapter 8- Headache

Zelda awoke to someone rapping on the door. Her head was pounding and the world seemed to be spinning slightly. 

What happened last night?

She groaned and rolled off her bed, pushing the drapes aside to see how late she had slept in. The sun was high- it looked like it was already afternoon.

You’ve got to be kidding me… How long was I out?

The rapping repeated again, a little louder this time. Zelda cleared her throat, “Yes, what is it?” Her voice was groggy and loud.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

“No, no. Its fine. Who is it?”

“Uhhh, it’s Link…”

Link! Oh Nayru…

She suddenly remembered drinking. A lot. She had been at a… party? Yes, Sir Nicholaus’s party. Link had been there, a few scenes quickly flew by- but nothing concrete. The details were quite fuzzy and thinking made her headache far worse.

“Your highness, are you still there?”

Crap.

“Yes, sorry- do come in.”

He tried the door, but it didn’t move.

“It’s locked.”

“Sorry, sorry. Give me one moment.”

She suddenly remembered locking the door last night- when she woke up and puked. She walked down the stairs from her loft and entered the front room. She looked around and saw the bucket in the corner and threw the whole thing out the window into the moat. Zelda glanced in the mirror and winced, she looked like a mess. Shaking her head she shuffled over to the door and opened it.

Link smiled and tried to not look surprised, “Zelda, you look great.”

“I don’t believe that. I doubt I look any better than I feel…”

“That bad, huh?”

She sighed and looked down, “Hey, I wanted to apologize for last night. I don’t know what came over me- I guess I just wanted to get a break so I started drinking and it was a downward spiral.”

His face went bright red, “How much do you remember?”

“She shut her eyes and focused hard, “Not much I admit. I was already a few drinks in when you first showed up, it gets real blurry after that. Just a few images here and there.”

Link breathed a sigh of relief, “Oh few.”

“What?!”

Shoot, I should have phrased that better, he thought to himself.

“You know, it's nothing. Nothing important.”

“Oh Din, what did I do?”

“Nothing that bad, you just were a lot more confident and open to sharing your… thoughts and opinions.”

“What did I say?”

Link thought of the small peck, how open and touchy she was, the conversation they had when he carried her back. His face was pink and he took a deep breath.

“You know, just real boring stuff. Complaining about some diplomats or something- I could barely understand it to be honest.”

Zelda realized how terrible of a liar Link was, but she felt too awful to care, so she nodded in response.

“So hey, I figured your head would be killing you after last night so I stopped by to give you something.”

She got a hopeful glint in her eyes, “What is it?”

Link pulled out a jar filled with a greenish goup, “This won’t taste great but it’ll help the headache and some of the other stuff too.”

Zelda gratefully accepted the drink and took a sip, “Ughh,” she gargled.

“I said it wouldn’t taste great, didn’t I?”

She punched his arm playfully and smiled as she downed the rest of the concoction. After about 20 seconds the pounding in her temples started to subside.

‘Wow, that was quick.”

“I wouldn’t give you something so gross, if it wasn’t effective.”

She smirked back and he smiled,

“You’ll probably still have a slight headache for a little while, but the majority of the problem should be gone.”

“Thank you Link,” she paused,

“...And I am quite lucky to have you here. In the castle, with me…”

He looked back sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head,

“Oh, you know, you’re welcome, but uh yeah, it really wasn’t any problem at all, your highness,’ he admitted.

“Would you like to come in then?”

“Of course, but uh, I still haven’t been down to the barracks today, because I was making, you know,” he continued, gesturing to the empty bottle in her hand. “And uh I don’t want to miss helping with today’s training, after all.”

“Oh alright, no problem, thanks again for the help Link!”

It wasn’t long after he left that Zelda was starting to regret the previous night again. She had never had more than a few sips of wine or champagne in the past- she knew how foolish people seemed to act when they had too much. Yet the one night she finally had decided to let go was when “he” had actually willingly gone to a nobleman’s party.

Oh Link, how much of an idiot was I last night?

She thought back to all the new diplomatic problems arising after people decided that enough time had passed since the invasion to flood the queen with every tiny dispute and disagreement. The festival that she had hastily invited the hero to, was fast approaching and the council…

By Nayru, that blasted council…

She had turned down her fair share of potential suitors when her father ruled a few years prior and outright refused to see any when she took office. None of those “nobles” cared a shred about Hyrule or its people. Still she knew that eventually she would need heirs and the council was well aware too. They had recently brought it up again and with her 19th birthday a few months away and the invasion over, she had lost her best excuses. She had so far always managed to convince herself that marriage would always be a problem for another day, but now it appeared that she didn’t have more than a few years before the council would have a problem with her solitariness. Of course, ideally she would hope for someone who truly loved her, or at least was close to her age. She had learned to accept that wasn’t very likely as a monarch so she wanted somebody at the very least who had the welfare of the kingdom written in their heart. She was acutely aware of a certain person who gave everything for the kingdom and nearly died over and over again to save her people. He was single and she was sure she could convince the council to allow a commoner of his prestige and military position to be allowed as a prince consort or perhaps even co-monarch. And as for romantic matters, he was a close friend and the only boy who had managed to make butterflies appear in her stomach and her palms start to sweat. She was the Ice Queen for crying out loud, why couldn’t she just think straight around him. Maybe it had to do with the nights she would stay up reading her romance novels and thinking of him-

She jumped as someone banging on her door ripped her from her current thoughts.

Oh gods, who’d be knocking so obnoxiously?!

“Who is it!”

“Oh come on dear- you really ought to recognize our knock by now,” a sweet female voice replied.

“And also her friend who has a much more ladylike knock, of course!” a second voice came.

Oh thank Farore, it’s been too long since I’ve seen Maive and Naira…

“Come in!” she demanded as she opened the door to her two close friends.

Maive was a few years older and had helped tutor Zelda in academics and Naira was a year younger and the queen’s favorite dueling partner since childhood. It had been about a week and a half since she had seen them both and she was glad to see her two good friends once more.

Naira gasped when she opened the door, “Oh. Zelda, my my, you look terrible.”

“What! Shut up, Naira,” Maive chided her friend, “Zellie- you look… great,” she added with an unconvincing smile.

The queen simply rolled her eyes in response and gestured for the pair to enter the room.

Naira swallowed and explained, “So your maid Rosanna told us that you had apparently gotten home late and wasn’t awake this morning so we came by to see how you were feeling. You know all this courtroom work isn’t good for a person.”

She sighed and attempted to mat down her bedhead, “Yeah, I’m aware. In truth- perhaps I wanted a break last night and may have drank a slight bit more than normally.”

Maive shook her hood and Naira couldn’t help but giggle in response,

“That’s so… not you, Zelda. Do you have a hangover?”

“Luckily a friend gave me something that got rid of most of the headache.”

Maive piped up, “Who were you with, did you do anything crazy.”

Zelda threw her face into her palms and groaned dejectedly, “You know, nobody crazy, just the Hero of Twilight himself, and what’s better is that I can’t remember hardly anything,” she sarcastically mumbled with her eyes still glued to the floor.

“Oh, don’t dwell on that Zelda, we all do silly things sometimes- especially when alcohol is involved,” Maive reassured her, “there was once when I decided to finally kiss a soldier I had been eyeing after I drank some “liquid courage” and it didn’t turn out terrible. Me and Geoffrey are now nearing our third year being married.”

With this, she perked up and ventured, “Do you really think that he’ll be able to see me the same way again?”

“Ooooh,” Naira teased, “And just why is it so important to you- Link’s opinion?”

After a sharp inhale, the queen returned to a regal posture and facial expression, “I can assure you that he is purely an important military figure and soured relations would complicate this blasted kingdom that needs no more disputes as it is.”

Naira elbowed Maive and even the usually more mature woman cracked a smile, “Zelda why don’t Naira and I head downstairs and you can shower, then join us for lunch?” 

She agreed and waved them goodbye before cleaning herself up for a chance to finally focus on something other than that stupid party.


	9. The Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link tries to understand his own mind and what he can do about it, emotions are confusing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo hoo, super happy to get another chapter out this early! Last chapter was a lot of Zelda's perspective so enjoy some time with our favorite hero. You guys are great- have fun with this chapter!

**Chapter 9- The Gift**

  
  


Link’s heart was still pounding. His breathing was faster than normal, his legs were weak and he felt the beads of sweat run down his back.

It’s not that he wasn’t used to the fight or flight hormones- running through Hyrule during the Invasion had helped him with that. It was just bizarre for his battle instincts to kick in after a simple conversation with the queen. He still remembered her messy hair and untidy clothes from the night before, the way her dress clung to her waist and outlined her hourglass figure,

_ Oh goddesses- she’s the queen. You’re a ranch boy Link. A ranch boy. _

She had looked so embarrassed about her disorderly appearance but there was something oddly intimate about the contrast to her regular dignified look. The unkept bedhead and sleepy eyes that eyed him gratefully, she was so… He inhaled and stopped.

_ A ranch boy, that’s who I am. A ranch boy. _

Sir Geoffrey’s shout called his attention back to reality, “Oi Link! Gather round men, Captain’s ‘ere!”

Link cleared his throat, “Alright,what have you all been working on today?”

Mikiba, the goron, piped up, “Sir- we have been doing basic drills and hand to hand exercises so far.”

“Great to hear it- gives me an idea for a new mock battle today. Everybody- change into your off-duty clothes or whatever more casual attire you have on-hand. No armor or weapons today, move out!”

As the soldiers started to rush back into their quarters, Sir Geoffrey pulled Link aside, “Sir, this is the first time you’ve been late- is everything all right?”

Link took a deep breath and gave his mind a few seconds to clear. He looked the knight up and down and decided to open up. He explained a few details about the party, but leaving some things out to respect her majesty’s dignity. Furthermore, he admitted that he had been feeling a bit distracted about the incident. Geoffrey just nodded as he listened patiently and then asked,

“Sir, do you think there’s any possibility that you… fancy, the queen?”

_ No- because you’re a ranch boy.  _

“Geoffrey I am simply a lowly soldier in her majesty’s forces. I have a job to do as part of my allegiance to the crown and to Hyrule. Now, the men are ready and this mock battle will surely help clear my head.”

He stood up and walked towards the group standing at attention before Geoffrey had the chance to respond, “Great job. Today will be practicing how to be ready to fight at all times, we’ll have small groups of “off-duty soldiers” and “rioters” for this battle. I need-,” he paused and counted the number of soldiers he had today.

_ 62, 62. Including myself and Geoffrey, okay. _

“Richard, Finlay, Anselet, Ezolph, James, and… Ashei,” he added with a smile. “I need all of you to pick 10 men including yourselves, Finlay and James with 11, and separate into 6 groups.”

“Does that include you and the knights, Sir?” Finlay asked.

“Yes, it does. Choose wisely…”

  
  


Link was exhausted, he had just finished his second shower that day after more training with Shad. The mock battle was exhausting and he was very proud of the ingenuity some of his soldiers possessed, by Din- if he ever wanted to retire he would make Ashei captain. After the grueling battle, he remembering how Geoffrey had approached him the second time that day, and the words he offered him,

“Sir, I wanted to tell you that, I wasn’t born here. I was born in a small province called Necluda- past Eldin and just before Lurelin. I wasn’t poor- my family owned a few rice fields, but I felt so small when I moved to Hyrule to enlist. I had an aunt here, someone who had climbed the social ladder and taught me how to live in the city. That was a long time ago, but I don’t regret it. I eventually married a very smart noblewoman, Lady Maive, and now I truly feel at home. I just wanted to say...”

He had paused, searching for the right words when link had placed his hand on his shoulder,

“That’s alright, I get it. Thank you Geoffrey, I’ll keep that in mind.”

He had continued for the lessons with Shad afterwards to attempt to clear his mind, but it was difficult when the reason he was learning to dance was in preparation for the festival with the queen herself. Still it was encouraging that his feet finally seemed to stop hitting Shad’s and he had found the court manners less confusing that day. After stopping by his quarters and grabbing some things from the kitchens he was on his way to see the queen again.

  
  


Zelda held both hands to her chest as she leaned against a stone bench in one of her favorite courtyards. She felt a lot better, her headache was close to gone and it felt good to laugh with her friends. The following day she would need to settle more court matters and meet with council again but today, today she wanted to enjoy some time to herself in the beautiful gardens. She eyed two yellow canaries playing in a nearby stone fountain and closed her eyes to listen to the soft chirps and feel the setting sun warm her bare arms. After a few moments of peaceful meditation she noticed footsteps to her left. She cracked open one eye and saw the hero walking towards her. He waved to her and she sat up, smiling. He was carrying something, was that a cup?

He smiled at her as he poured a steaming liquid into a ceramic cup from a waterskin, “I brought you something, don’t worry it tastes a lot better than the last drink.”

She laughed and inhaled the sweet smelling aroma, it seemed like oolong tea, and she caught a whiff of… honey? It looked fantastic,

“Hmmm,” she hummed in response as he offered her the cup.

“Oh Farore Link, that’s delicious.”

He grinned back, “How are you feeling Zelda?”

The sincerity in his voice as well as her name leaving his lips sent small shivers down her spine, “A lot better, you really have helped me today Link.”

“Of course your majesty, I’m glad to see you finally enjoying some time outside the courtroom.”

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed these gardens, just listening to fauna and smell the flowers here.”

He shut his eyes and breathed in the satisfying air, his hand absentmindedly fiddling with the small box in his pocket.

“What are you playing with there Link?”

He flinched, he had been considering waiting till another day to give it to her. After a few moments to regain his composure he pulled out a box. It was a small wooden container, fitting neatly in the palm of his hand- the reddish hue stark against his pale skin.

“I noticed how much you have been working to help the people recently, especially after the Invasion and I wanted to get you something, to show my appreciation.”

She started to protest but then placed her hands on his and whispered, “Link- you truly are so full of goodness. It’s no surprise the goddesses chose you to save Hyrule.”

His face turned pink and he handed her the small box. She pulled out a gold chain, with a small black piece of polished glass inside the pendant of the necklace. She squinted as she read a small inscription on the necklace, “Shadow and Light are two sides of the same coin...One cannot exist without the other.”

As she opened it Link explained, “It’s a shard from the mirror- I found it shortly after Midna left and I thought you should have it.”

They stood silent as Zelda continued to inspect the gift. The hero stood quiet and looked down, 

“I know it’s not fit for a queen or anything. I’m sorry if you don’t like it…”

She suddenly ran towards him and wrapped her arms around him. He felt the air leave his lungs from the abrupt impact as she exclaimed, “It’s perfect! I love it, I love it so much!”

She brought her left hand to rest on his right cheek and moved her face upwards and kissed his cheek in gratitude. She slowly backed away and thanked him once more. He looked away and back at her, trying to find something to say but he couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. She then ventured,

“Link, would you care to accompany me on a walk around the gardens?”

He chuckled as he nodded back, “Absolutely!”


	10. Old Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link has quite the interesting day and shares some of the details with the Queen during one of their many dinners together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry it took so long to get this out here. I'm sure most writers here know the struggle of balancing important life stuff with how much fun it is to write stories. Anyways, thanks so much for anyone who's gotten this far! Let me know what you think down below- thanks!

**Chapter 10- Old Truths**

  
  


These past few weeks were some of the best Link had had in his life. He loved being Captain of the Guard and enjoying all the swordplay he could want. His lessons with Shad were going flawlessly and he actually felt comfortable with all the waltzing. The festival was only a few days away and the queen,

_ Oh Nayru, that woman… _

He had finally acknowledged it for himself- he was absolutely smitten.

They had grown close in the last few weeks and Link couldn’t be happier. They were definitely good friends, but friends usually don’t stop and get lost in each other’s gaze as often as they did. He was quite excited for the festival, realizing how close they would be the whole night- especially with all the dancing. Recently they were enjoying more time together, a meal here or there, escorting her around the castle, they had even tried some swordplay and archery together. He was sitting in his office near the barracks and just had to finish up some paperwork before dinner with Zelda herself.

Link glanced up from his small pile of papers to see Wilson enter the room. He hadn’t seen the soldier since he had given him a two-week suspension after Wilson started a fight with Richard over Mikiba’s goron blood. He was due to return to service the day before the festival and Link wasn’t looking forward to reinstating someone with such a gross mindset.

“Wilson? You’re not due to come back for another 2 days.”

The man looked down sheepishly and nodded, “Yeah sir, I just wanted to come by and apologize in person.”

Link took a deep breath, the last time he saw Wilson, regret seemed to be the last thing on his mind. “Alright, come in- grab a seat,” he motioned towards the empty chair across his desk.

“Thank you sir, I really felt like I needed to come and apologize to you in person for what I did.”

“I would think talking to Mikiba first is more important.”

“Yessir, Captain- I spoke with him this morning.”

“How’d he take it?”

The soldier looked down at his hands before speaking,

“As you can imagine, he was upset. But he said that he had already forgiven me.”

“Do you think you deserve that?”

“To be perfectly honest- I don’t know sir. He did nothing wrong and I treated him poorly because of the idotic traditions of my family.”

Link cocked his eyebrow, he didn’t remember Wilson’s record listing names of any prominent family. He shuffled through the various mail and applications he had on his desk until he found what he was looking for. Reading from the paper, he asked,

“Say Wilson, your file is absent of any family names. What’s this about?”

“Oh,” Wilson took a deep breath, “My father had his name removed from all my records, when… when I left his estate and broke off ties with my family.”

The Captain leaned forward in surprise, “Who is your father?”

“Robert Duhnrig, Sir.”

Link gasped, he may have not known all the noblemen and women in the castle, but the Duhnrig’s were infamous. They had been heavily prominent during the reign of Zelda’s grandfather- King Mados, Rhoam’s father. Mados had ruled as a tyrant and much of the history concerning him and especially his father’s reign was wiped from any records. Rhoam, Zelda’s father had begun serious reforms and yet the Duhnrig’s had always managed to avoid permanent incarceration for their crimes, many attributed this to the heavy corruption in the Capital that Rhoam worked tirelessly to erase. The family’s influence had finally started to shrink and they stood as a fraction of what they once were now, but many still feared to offend the great noble family. Robert led the family now and he hated Link after the Captain had expelled Robert’s cousin from the military and arrested him for using his position to force women before and during the Invasion. Link hated the family and luckily the Queen followed in her father’s footsteps and worked to ensure the worst of the family stayed in the dungeons.

Wilson continued, “I’m sure you're aware of my family’s reputation, Sir. And as such, I have to try everyday to escape the weight of my last name. I honestly strive to be good, but there are moments when the things I had lived my entire childhood start to come through, like the way I acted towards Mikiba and I certainly deserved these 2 weeks as reprimand.”

Link was shocked, he thought of Wilson as a man from a normal family and picking up bad habits as a result of his own stupid opinions but the truth was far more complex. He saw now, a man, striving to throw off the chains of a terrible family and at times slipping as he moved forward. He moved around the desk and shook the man’s hand.

“You’re a good man, Wilson. I look forward to seeing you back in uniform.”

“Yes, thank you sir. I’ll be going then,” he remarked before leaving the tent.

After hastily shoving the papers into some drawers, Link rushed off towards the castle library. He had some things to look into before dinner.

  
  


The falling summer sun was a stunning sight from the balcony on the western tower. Hyrule’s monarch was looking forward to dinner, she had always wanted to try this restaurant her friends had suggested. The tables were arranged on a large terrace overlooking the distant town on one side and the glistening lake on the other. The sun was halfway down the far-off mountains and the last rays giving warmth to the cool summer’s breeze. Zelda eyed the low sun nervously, she wondered what time it was,

_ That’s strange- he’s never been late before. _

“Would you like us to fetch you anything, your majesty?” The server inquired once more.

“No, no. I’m sure he’ll be here soon- thank you.”

“Of course, milady.”

She continued to tap her fingers on the table and bit the corner of her lip. Finally after a few minutes she saw him. He looked winded as he rushed into the establishment semi-abruptly. His eyes scanned the room before they met hers, he smirked. He strode confidently towards the table and kneeled in front of her- right hand glued to his left shoulder.

“My deepest apologies for my ever so late, your highness. I do hope, with time, I may find forgiveness?”

She suppressed a laugh with her palm, “Oh don’t act so ridiculous over 10 minutes,” she commanded.

Link looked up and grinned, “If you insist, and don’t worry I shan't be late again,” then he stood and added, “It is nice to see you, Zelda.”

With that he grabbed her hand and gave it a small kiss, eliciting a blush, and took the seat opposite of her own.

She waved a server over and looked across the table, “So what took you, Sir Link”

He rubbed his hands together giddily, “I was in the library, doing some digging.”

She perked up, shining with curiosity, “What were you looking for, and what did you find?”

“That’s just it. It’s the absence of information that gave me what I need to know.”

They quickly ordered some wine and small salads, Zelda’s mind far distant from food and other pleasantries. She looked backed towards Link,

“So the absence of info? How do you figure?”

“You know about the book burnings of King Mados, your umm, grandfather?”

“Of course, Mados and the Duhnrig’s searched for any documents that contained information against the “good of the kingdom”.” The last bit with a heavy sarcastic tone.

Link stretched his arms out in a smile and pointed at her, “Exactly, I spoke with one of the Duhnrig's today and remembered this poem Shad had told me about them and the natives in the gerudo desert, and the ruins in the arbiter's grounds a few weeks back.”

“What were you doing with Shad?”

“He wanted to show me some scrolls his family had kept for generations as a “gift” for saving Hyrule. Anyways, I knew that they were largely responsible for the destruction of the records from that era- so that family had been aware of the information the kingdom was trying to destroy.”

“And what did you find?”

“So I searched through books from that period to see what was missing.”

“Kind of like how a shadow can reveal the shape of a character?”

“Exactly! The absence of light showed me what I needed. Most of the lacking evidence came from books on the different species of Hyrule and I found geography books on every area except the eastern and northern reaches of the kingdom.”

“That’s odd, those are where the majority of the ruins are located,” Zelda furrowed her brow as theories raced through her mind.

“So when listing the goron, human, and hylian settlements there was nothing on those areas, not even removed information or torn out pages- just a full list of the settlements from 200 years ago that match up with today but there was nothing about the desert or snowy regions.”

“But the Arbiter’s Grounds are too well-developed and clearly built from an intelligent and organized group to be unmarked settlements.”

“Yeah, so I was thinking that maybe there was another race that built them.”

“Another race?!”

“Well the Zora, Hylians, and Goron all have their own very distinct building styles, and the Arbiter’s Grounds and Snowpeak Mansion are completely unique as well. Combine that with those settlements never appearing under any books of the known races and parts of those books torn out. Any geography books dealing with those places have been destroyed and the ruins are too recently abandoned to be pre-historically ancient.”

“And what does this have to do with the poems from Shad’s family?”

“Well they were very lengthy and uh boring. Much of the content was symbolic and figurative so I figured this weird verse he showed me was as well.”

Zelda was shaking in anticipation. Knowledge, this was her field- her forte, her love. She had been and always would be a scholar at heart.

“So what is it? What's the verse?”

The hero reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrip of paper, “Here I transcribed it earlier today, take a look.” He shoved the paper into her hands.

She took a deep breath and read the messy handwriting over and over.

_ Oh great Hyrule’s majesty- the desert spires of the gerudo to the heat of Goron flame, _

_ Oh great King, may the many races always head thy name. _

_ Blessed by Hylia and goddesses, the Divine and Great Three _

_ Even the barbaric snowbirds pay so humble tribute to thee. _

  
  


“Link, my goddesses, if this means what I think it means…”

“I know…”

“These two other groups of people, or other species I guess, what more do you have about them?”

“Just more theories, I ran up here after going to Shad’s to confirm my idea about the poem.”

The queen smiled as she leaned back and sighed, “That’s is… it’s incredible- absolutely brilliant Link, truly.”

He blushed back, “I can’t wait to find out more, I should wait until after the festival to plan any trips though- I need to make sure the regiment is well established and I want to continue the frequent patrols until the last remnants of the invasion are wiped out. The monsters got real bold and are still attacking the occasional merchant or traveller.”

“Wow, we’ll have to research more at a better time,” she agreed.

Just then, the waiter arrived with the drinks and two small dishes of wild greens.

“So what can I get you two tonight, your majesty?”

“I heard that you guys have some sort of roasted duck, is that true?” inquired Zelda.

“Why yes, however it is rather large for one person.”

“Oh Link, would you like to share- do you care for duck?”

“Yeah, of course- that sounds delightful,” he responded with a smile.

The waiter noted the order and nodded before attending to a nearby table. Zelda sipped some of the red wine, its bitterness contrasted nicely with the sweet dressing added to the greens, she glanced up and noticed that Link already had an empty plate and glass.  _ By Din, how did he eat that so quickly?  _ She suppressed a laugh and then noticed he had a line of maroon above his upper lip. She smiled at how innocent and cute he looked, she cleared her throat and whispered “Link, you uh have something on your lip.”

His face flushed bright red in embarrassment, he quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Sorry, I’m still trying to get used to noble life- look at how quick I finished this salad.” He looked down in dismay and embarrassment, till Zelda placed her hand on his across the table,

“Don’t worry, it's charming to see someone with a different change of pace, I…” she paused and bit her lip, “I actually kinda find it cute.” It was then her turn to blush as she pulled her hand back.

“And here is the roasted duck, please enjoy you two.” Luckily the waiter had arrived before Zelda could get too embarrassed. Link rubbed his hands together in excitement, he breathed in deep and grinned back at her.

“My my, do you smell that- this looks so good!”

She giggled at his enthusiasm, he must love food more than anyone else she knew. Luckily he did enough exercise to use all those nutrients he was constantly intaking. He grabbed the large carving knife and ventured, “May I?”

“Go right ahead, I’m sure you know how to cut that thing better than I do.”

He stuck his tongue out in concentration as he made the initial cuts, “We mostly ate fish and vegetables in Ordon. However, there were a few times I managed to get a duck with my slingshot. Rusl showed me how to clean them- a little stringy, but they were still delicious. Better than chicken I think.”

She beamed up at him as she saw him carve the duck and talk about his home, she liked to imagine living in Ordon with him. She was ashamed to admit but she found herself thinking about him more and more. She loved how flustered he would act around her- she was beginning to acknowledge that perhaps he felt the same way about her as she did about him. She decided she was going to try and kiss him- the festival could prove a wonderful opportunity.

“Annnnnnd done.” He forked a chunk of breast meat onto her plate and ladled some of the creamy sauce on top. They had ordered only half the animal, but still she didn't know if they would be able to finish it, that is until she saw the amount Link had on his plate. She doubted they would be any left…

After they had eaten their fill they spoke more about how the other’s work was going. Zelda recounted how, earlier that day, an ambassador from the city state of Altun demanded that the neighboring kingdom of Hyrule had neglected trading adequately with them and as such they shouldn’t be bothered with paying tribute. She had responded that his plea was quite reasonable so long as he was content with the patrols stopping to keep the roads of Altun safe and allow any monsters to roam free once more. That had shut him up and Link chuckled at her boldness. Not long after, the waiter dropped off the bill and Link grabbed it first.

“No, Link. I invited you here, let me- it's no issue.”

“Well your majesty, I have been wondering what I could possibly do with the rupees I’ve gained from my adventures and I must say- I’d quite like to use a small few to pay for a meal I ate two-thirds of.”

Zelda was tempted to protest, but there was something about the way he said it made her stomach flutter, she smiled at herself at the prospect of him buying, it was almost like they were on a…

“Well kiddo, you coming?” Link stood nearby gesturing towards the front desk.

“Did you just call me Kiddo?!” She stood to follow him, “ I'll have you know, I am the Queen of Hyrule,” she elbowed him playfully as he dug out his coin purse.

“Oh- my deepest apologies, your majesty. I’ll be sure to treat the Queen with more respect in the future.” He smiled back, still wearing a teasing look.

  
After they paid and left the restaurant, they decided to have another archery lesson together the following day. They discussed when and where on the way back to Zelda’s tower and soon the door stood as a disappointing sign of the end of such a fun night. She considered inviting him into her quarters for tea, but with the late hour, she knew it would be too scandalous. He hugged her goodnight and thanked her for such a delicious meal as he squeezed her arm in farewell. She spun around in her room after he had left and fell backwards onto the couch and smiled ear to ear.  _ Yes, I’m quite looking forward to that festival... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry this chapter was an odd one for me- I kept revising it to try and get the feeling I really wanted but I couldn't seem to find that feeling I was going for. I figured I kept you guys waiting long enough and I am happy with how it turned out- but don't worry, I'll be writing more relationship stuff and less history as it's not nearly as much fun for me to create in a consistent and engaging manner. See you guys next chapter!


	11. Misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link finds himself in an awkward situation- slight chaos ensues.

**Chapter 11- Misunderstandings**

  
  


The Captain was in a fantastic mood. He had found the group of men who had volunteered to work the day of the festival in return for extra pay. Even Wilson had volunteered- his first day back. He had placed Richard in charge of security and maintaining the peace- he warned him that the day of the festival was much less about swordplay and more about maintaining a clear head towards his team and acting firmly, but polite to all the citizens. That day would show much about his potential as a Knight for her majesty’s royal guard. The morning had been productive and it was good to have Ashei back to help him train the troops, he left her in charge for the remainder of the afternoon and turned to leave for his archery lessons with the Queen.

“Didn’t you just have dinner with her highness yesterday Captain?” Ashei inquired.

Deveraux smiled and added, “You seem to be spending an awful amount of time with the Queen there Captain, anything you want to tell us knights?”

Link turned red and started to stutter a weak defense when Anselet jumped in,

“Oh guys- stop teasing Sir Link.” A smirk grew on his face, “The good Captain is allowed to fancy whomever he likes, we should congratulate him on how well his courting is going- you can see how happy Link is now that he gets to be with Queen Zelda so much.” He threw some flowers into Link’s hair and skipped around him as the other Knights howled in laughter. Even the generally reserved Geoffrey was chuckling as Ashei howled in fits of giggles at Anselet’s teasing.

Link turned back and marched off away from his friends, face red but smiling nevertheless. So what if he fancied the queen- who wouldn't? It was embarrassing, but even he had to chuckle thinking about his friends, sometimes he missed Ilia and Collin and it was nice to have more people that he was close to in the city. His thought process was interrupted by a group of five or six noblewomen walking towards him in the hallway. He thought he recognized a few from the groups that seemed to watch him practice or follow him around castle town. He crossed the far side of the hallway in an attempt to avoid the group but they stopped him in the middle of the hall.

“Hey hero! How are you doing?”

Link felt awkward, but didn’t want to be rude. “I’m doing swell, thanks for asking. I don’t believe we’ve met before- I’m Link.” He offered his hand as one of the girls drew near.

She had blonde hair and looked only a few years older than him, about 19 or 20. The other girls giggled at his response as the blonde girl held his hand and responded, “Oh we know ALL about you hero, I’m Tilly by the way. You’ve made quite the impact around here you know.”

He cleared his throat, “Sorry about that.”

They laughed in reply, but it felt so fake- he was starting to feel uncomfortable with the situation. He tried to back away but hit the wall a few feet behind him. They were eyeing him up and down and getting much closer than he was comfortable with. Tilly moved forward and placed her hand against the wall Link was leaning against- her face was only around 6 inches from his own, he felt her breath and wanted so badly to escape.

“So Hero,” she lingered on that word as her eyes were fixed to his own, “surely someone as handsome as yourself has a girl back home, neh?”

“Uhhh, not really, you know. I’m... I’m only 17 after all.” He tried to flatten himself even further against the wall, unsuccessfully.

One of the other girls piped up, “So Hero, does that mean you’ve never kissed anyone?”

Link felt his face turn red, he was pretty sure most people had kissed people by the time they were 17, and he was less than a month away from turning 18. “Well, not exactly...” he fell silent as Tilly’s face was even closer. She still inched forwards and he saw the gap quickly closing, 4 inches, 3, 2...

“Excuse me?!”

Suddenly all the girls backed up as Queen Zelda turned the corner and cleared her throat, face torn in twisted emotions. She looked shocked, upset, and then angry. Farore’s name he had never seen her look so angry- she looked between Tilly and Link and glared cooly, 

“I think I understand a little bit more about our situation, thanks for the enlightenment Sir Link- I’m sure anyone of your new  _ friends  _ will be more than happy to accompany you to the festival.”

Link watched desperately, as she stormed off the way she came and was gone. He glared at the noblewoman who at least had the decency to look abashed, especially Tilly. She stared at the ground, head hung in shame as Link looked at the group of women, none daring to meet his eyes. He rubbed his head in his hands and trudged off, slowly heading towards Zelda’s tower.  _ How in the world am I going to be able to explain this? _

  
  


Zelda paced back and forth in her study fuming. Judging by a pile of papers scattered on the ground and her tear-stained eyes- she may be acting slightly emotional.  _ So what?! Why shouldn’t I be upset!  _ She felt enormously stupid for thinking that the Link would be that great of a guy. He was such a great actor- pretending to be all innocent, playing with her emotions like that. Here she was, excited for a day with the boy she had been fawning over when she saw,  _ Ughh...  _ She grimaced at how gross the scene was- Link, her Link, was inches from kissing that blasted woman, Mathilda Hughes. Mathilda- or Tilly as she liked to call herself liked to act airheaded and sweet- but she had kissed more young noblemen than anyone else she knew. No surprise she had ended up with Link as well! She flopped back onto the sofa and decided to go back to crying, she was the blasted Ice Queen. She barely reacted when her entire kingdom had been invaded but now she was acting like a toddler. How could some random boy have so much control over her heart? She started to feel physically sick- it was pathetic, really. She was suddenly pulled from her self-pity by a metallic clunking coming from her front door. She held her breath, not wanting to respond to anyone at the moment.

“Hey Zelda- are you in there? I really need to talk with you.” She recognized Link’s voice and it was the last voice she wanted to hear.

“Go away!” she croaked, voice hoarse and strained, “I mean it you know!”

“No, let me explain- I know you’re upset, but please? I promise I didn’t do anything like that, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”

“I know what I saw!”

“Do you really?” He paused, voice softer, so she had to strain her ears to understand him, “Did you see how uncomfortable I felt being surrounded by people I don’t care about? I don’t know why that girl was so persistent- but I swear I had absolutely nothing to do with it!”

After a few moments, she swung open the door for him, “You better have a good explanation for kissing her.”

“Hey, I didn’t kiss anybody!” 

She saw his eyes travel down to her feet and back to her face- she must look terrible. She knew her eyes must be bloodshot and her room was a mess. She motioned for him to enter and he barely made a few strides into her room before explaining the whole situation. Anyone else and she would have scoffed at such a fake story- but Link was different. He was such a genuine person.

“Zelda- you’ve been blessed with wisdom by the goddesses. You know me, do you really think I would do something so shallow? Throw away my first kiss on some noble’s daughter, instead on someone who truly matters?”

The way his eyes never left her face, and his expression during that last phrase, sent shivers down her spine. Suddenly the world seemed distant as she saw him getting steadily closer as he spoke and the room grew quite warm- she felt moisture build in her hands and butterflies roaming her stomach. He grasped her hands in his own, and he didn’t seem to mind the sweat. She couldn’t think straight with him standing so close. She definitely believed his story, but she didn’t know if she was still mad at him or not. The way he looked at her sent that train of thought flying away though. His voice was gentle, his obvious care for her present in every syllable,

“I promise you- I will never fall for someone so shallow and preoccupied solely with herself. My heart belongs to someone much wiser,” he slowed and spoke much more deliberately, “someone who would give everything for the people she cares about, her people. Someone who...” he hesitated and took a deep breath, he started to lean away. She leaned forward, closing the gap once more and queried “who?...” He gazed straight into her eyes and gave her a peck on the lips. She was completely lost in the wonderful moment of feeling someone else’s mouth on her own. But it was over very quickly, far too quickly, not even a full kiss. Bright crimson dawned on both their faces before he bowed curtly and rushed out of her tower, without another word. Zelda stood there motionless as silence returned to her study- the earlier fiasco completely forgotten...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I had a LOT of fun with this chapter- I'm still trying to decide if Zelda acted too overemotional in this scene. She is normally composed and collected and I'm worried it may feel a bit out of character. However, everyone's allowed to get frustrated at times and I think the Queen is entitled to that as well- so I'm still glad with the way it turned out. Good news- next chapter is the long awaited Festival of Colors. Stay tuned!


	12. The Festival of Colors (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the Festival has finally arrived and our Hero gets to spend the day with his favorite monarch...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey- it’s finally here! At long last, I finished writing the 2 chapters about the Festival of Colors. I’m super happy because the scene at the end of the next chapter (part 2) is the whole reason that I started writing this. This chapter is a little longer than usual but the next one is on the shorter side. I’m so excited for you guys to read the next chapter, so I’m gonna finish editing it soon. Thanks so much for reading this far- stay tuned for more!

**Chapter 12- The Festival of Colors**

  
  


After two weeks of dance lessons and preparations- the day of the Festival of Colors had finally arrived. Link finally could waltz without tripping over his own feet- even doing the male’s part. He had avoided the Queen after their previous conversation in her room two days prior- whenever he passed by her, they smiled and looked away- neither daring to start a conversation. Link had no idea if what he did was a huge mistake or not. He thought about why he kissed her- when he had seen how, even with messy hair and red eyes, she was still the most beautiful person he had ever met- he knew it was over. He didn’t want to grow even older without letting the person he cared about know how he felt. Words always came with great effort to the Hero, so in a split-second decision he had briefly kissed Zelda. To be fair it was so slight that many would say it wasn’t even a true kiss, but he had made his intentions clear. His friend Legault had once told him to woo a woman, one had to be straightforward and dauntless with their affections. Once he saw how upset she had been at the prospect of him kissing another he decided that it was worth the risk.

Link was grateful for his daily training exercises like this to allow his mind some time to process. He finished battling a practice dummy and moved over to the pull-up bar. In the middle of his third set he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He grunted as he finished the rep he was on and jumped back to the floor. He wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to see four women standing behind him. He recognized Zelda and her friend Alice, but the other two were unfamiliar. His face flushed pink and three of the girls started to giggle as Zelda took a shaky step forward.

“Link, these are my friends- Alice who you’ve met, as well as Maive and Naira,” she gestured to the others. “We were planning on meeting together before the festival at Telma’s right after Lunch. Would you like to meet there with us?”

He rubbed his sweaty palms on his tunic as he regained his breath. “Sure, anything specific in mind for before the festival then?”

“Yeah we were thinking of spending a few hours in Castle Town before the festival itself gets started at four.”

“That sounds great!” he responded with a smile.

“Well I look forward to tonight Sir Link…” Zelda bowed slightly before motioning for her friends to leave.

Link bowed back, “Most certainly. It was a pleasure to meet you Naira and Maive.”

He was watching them walk back towards the castle when he felt a sweaty hand land on his shoulder. Anselet chuckled through labored breaths, “Wow! Her majesty came all the way down to the training yards just to talk with ya. Things going well Captain?”

“I could fire you Anselet.”

“Haha, I’m really shaking in my boots there Captain. What’s our next exercise?”

Link turned around and looked at his soldiers, diligently training. He saw pairs of men sparring, a line of folks at the archery range, people running or lifting weights and he felt a surge of pride. Not a single soldier was slacking off- they looked great. He shoved two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. When the group had gathered around to hear their next instruction, he spoke with a smile.

“Hey, today you have all been great- fantastic work in keeping in fighting shape. Excellent work guys.” Anselet grinned back at him as friends patted each other's back over the recognition from their beloved Captain. Link clapped his hands together and continued to address the crowd,

“As I’m sure you’re all aware that today happens to be the famed Festival of Colors. A group of you have already volunteered keep watch this evening and will be getting compensated extra.” He gestured to Sir Richard, who nodded back in agreement. “So, due to the fine work I’ve seen these last few weeks I wanted to announce that the rest of you will have the rest of the day off. And with the exception of the few who are already assigned to guard tomorrow- everyone can have the next day free as well!”

The crowd erupted in applause and excitement. The Captain was kind but strict in maintaining a schedule and keeping his soldiers in good shape- this was the first real break Link had offered the guardsmen since he took charge seven short weeks before. They all cheered and Anselet wrapped his arm around Link in celebration. Link grinned and shouted,

“Now everyone get out of here and go get ready to enjoy the festival- dismissed!”

  
  


A few hours later and Link still didn’t want to leave his quarters. He stared for the thousandth time into the mirror in the small room. He looked completely ridiculous. He knew today was a day about _ colors _, a whole celebration right before the end of summer harvests, but still- wasn’t his current ensemble a bit much? He stared at himself from head to toe- his usual brown leather boots were replaced by simple white shoes adorned with yellow frills. His legs were clad in dark grey hosen and he wore a navy blue tunic with a red undershirt. To finish the outfit, he wore a matching orange belt and ascot. He had finally grown to be accustomed to formal wear like this- but the mismatched colors were another story. Still, Shad had assured him many times that this would be perfect for the festival and if he didn’t leave soon- he would be late to Telma’s. He straightened his tunic and checked his unruly hair one last time before marching off towards Castle Town.

When he arrived at Telma’s bar he was surprised by all the familiar faces. He saw Geoffrey with Maive, and Naira chatting with Thomas, one of his soldiers. Zelda, Alice, and Legault were sitting at the bar laughing with Telma. All of them were covered in super colored garb like him. As soon as Zelda noticed him enter, she rushed over to him and embraced him.

“Link- you look great! We’re so happy you could come join us!”

He smiled and scratched the back of his head, mind racing for words. “Yeah definitely! Is everyone else already here?”

“Yup, let’s get everyone and get going.”

As they strode back towards the bar, Link whispered to her, “So Alice and Legault?”

She giggled quietly, “I know! He asked her to the Festival a few days ago.”

They stopped as they neared the group. Legault grinned and hugged his friend. Geoffrey slapped his shoulder and Thomas saluted.

“Haha, at ease Thomas. We’re off duty now- enjoy the festival.”

He nodded sheepishly and Naira pinched him flirtatiously. They all bid Telma farewell and set off to browse the lively shops of the marketplace. Along the way Link had plenty of time to worry about the Queen’s expectations. Was she upset he made a move? Was she happy about it? Legault seemed so confident and charismatic and Geoffrey was totally normal around his wife. Link felt exactly how Thomas looked like- nervous. Once when the girls had stopped to eye some scarfs that were on sale during the warm season, Link pulled Thomas aside.

“Hey Thomas, you seem a little jumpy. You doing alright?”

“To be perfectly honest Sir- I’m not used to dates or life with the nobles. And Naira is so pretty, I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m flabbergasted at how you remain so level-headed on a date with the Queen herself, I guess that’s why you’re Captain, neh?”

Link snorted and shook his head, “I’m right there with you Thomas, I’m just as lost as you are. She’s the Queen, I herd goats!”

Thomas laughed, a genuine laugh and Link joined in. He felt all his tense nerves dissipate as they chuckled together. It felt good to know someone else felt like he did and strangely gave him a burst of confidence. When the girls returned, Zelda cocked an eyebrow and him and Thomas. He shrugged in response and before he had a chance to second-guess himself, he took her arm in his and led her to another stall. The few hours before the festival were amazing. Geoffrey joked about how strange he found the festival clothes when he had first arrived at the Castle and Legault showed them strawberries covered in chocolate. Already a perfect day for Link, he noted the exact location of THAT stall. They all got to know each other a little better and Zelda confided to Link that she was happy to have days where she could feel normal, not like royalty anymore. 

After what felt like no more than half an hour, Link saw that it was nearly four and people had started getting into positions for the first part of the festival. Legault explained that there were 2 hours of casual folk dances in the streets followed by an hour of dinner while a parade caravanned throughout the city. When the parade reached the Castle itself, the crowd followed for the formal portion inside the castle. Bands played various waltzes both in courtyards and ballrooms for around two hours and the festival ended in a colorful fireworks show.

The sudden gathering of people beginning to dance to the various minstrels signalled the start of the Festival of Colors. For a noblewoman, Zelda had a surprisingly good folk dance. She was so coordinated and graceful, it was awe-inspiring. For the most part Link did alright as well. Maive seemed to have trouble with the rapid foot-movements, but Geoffrey was patient and kind. Link was happy for them. His favorite part was the variety of instruments. A group of minstrels could play a slow and melodic tune from the northern reaches of the kingdom and you could move a hundred yards down the road to another group could be playing an energetic and messy eastern tempo. They frequently stopped to get drinks water in the warm evening, grateful for the temperature change afforded by the sun’s falling rays. The group would get separated and then find each other again, but for the most part Link stayed with Zelda. She commented on how much she enjoyed the way he danced to a particular jig he recognized from a pub in Faron province. The three person band played a fast-paced tune with an accordion, fiddle, and celtic drum. The feel was iconic to the southernmost province of Hyrule and incorporated many elements of the sheepherding tribes south of the kingdom, scattered throughout the rolling hills. Link clapped his hands as he stomped his foot and grabbed Zelda’s hand and they danced till they got dizzy. Once Link even fell towards the crowd and they shoved him back into Zelda’s arms without missing a beat. It was the most fun he had in ages.

When he finally felt like his legs would fall off from all the dancing, the horns announced the carts serving dinner for all. Zelda explained the city paid for all the meals during the Festival, apparently the morale boost and happiness for the citizens was worth it ever since King Rhoam had taken the throne. It was a tradition Zelda was keen on maintaining. Shortly after the group found a few benches to sit and enjoy the plate of rice and stew, they heard the parade commence a few blocks down the main road. Link loved the way the rice soaked up the gravy as well as the delicious vegetables and beef from the hearty stew. He cursed himself for the empty plate before his friends had even finished half of their meals. Zelda squeezed his hand when she saw his plate and he felt the familiar warmth spread on his cheeks. The parade soon reached their position and Link gawked at the show.

Long streams of bright fabric elegantly flowed from poles performers would spin and throw. Acrobats spun and jumped through hoops, while men on stilts juggled random objects. It was all quite strange and exciting, and Link finally understood why everyone was so excited for the Festival. For most of the year people worked hard and didn’t have much time for entertainment. But three times a year were different- the mid-winter feast, post-planting Spring Celebration, and the Festival of Colors just before fall. The Spring Celebration hadn’t occurred with the Invasion and people were finally beginning to feel safe and normal again. This year, people had done more than ever in terms of decoration and celebration, overjoyed to be free of the darkness. 

It was nice seeing Zelda in such a casual scene. While the Queen often visited various galas or other events of the aristocracy, it was rare for her to attend more common affairs or even walk through Castle Town. She was one of the most outgoing monarchs in generations, but still she was the Queen and most rarely saw her. She told Link that she loved the festival, she had an excuse to leave the Castle and enjoy a less formal night. Generally she had bodyguards with her, but she convinced the council that the Captain of the guard as her date would suffice. There was something about the way she felt safe with him that gave him the most pleasant feeling. And she confirmed it, it was a real date.

“Well that was delightful,” announced Legault, “I think that’s the best parade I’ve seen yet”

“Yeah, Nabooru’s festivals are TINY compared to the one today,” remarked Alice.

Naira released Thomas’ hand and turned excitedly towards Alice.

“And that’s only the first part! We still have the Waltz at the castle and then the fireworks show.”

Link’s palms started to moisten, he remembered the upcoming Waltz. He had never danced with someone besides Shad, he hoped he would do alright.

Zelda raised her eyebrows and her face shone with realization, “Oh Link! It’s your first year at the Castle, do you know how to waltz?”

He felt everyone’s eyes on him and gulped, “Uh yeah, I’m pretty sure. I learned a few weeks back.”

He felt uneasy, and remarkably different. Everyone here knew exactly what they were doing, he was such an outsider. Luckily, he was spared from further scrutiny by the sounds of brass trumpets announcing that the parade had reached the castle and the Waltz would soon begin. The walk wasn’t far, but it was discouraging. He saw the rest of the group laughing and reminiscing over previous festivals and his stomach lowered. His breaths felt heavy and shallow, they reached the castle gates and Link wanted to go home. He felt Zelda’s hand grasp around his own and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Thank you for coming Link, it’s been a wonderful night together.”

“Why did you ask me to go with you Zelda?”

She lifted her head up and looked off into the distance.

“Oh,.” she paused and released his hand. “I thought you knew, it’s quite obvious isn’t it?”

Legault shouted at them to hurry up and rejoin the group.

She fiddled the necklace around her neck, the same one he had given her. Her gaze was still directed elsewhere, and her voice was soft and smooth.

“I was sure you had it figured out when you were at my room last. That’s why you…”

She was cut off by the group returning to check on them.

Alice squeezed her shoulder and looked concerned, “Zelda dear, are you alright?”

Her gaze returned to the group as she was snatched back to reality. She shoved the necklace back under her collar and smiled sweetly,

“Of course Alice. Sorry I thought I forgot something. Let’s get going, we’ll soon be late.”

They looked puzzled but she re-assured them all was well. Link was more lost than he had felt in his life.

_ Quite obvious?! What the devil does that mean? What am I missing? _

With a shrug Legault led the group towards the sound of instruments, the Waltz had begun.

  
  
  
  



	13. The Festival of Colors (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing from the previous chapter, Zelda finally gets to waltz with Link as the Festival draws to a close...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So since last chapter was all Link’s perspective this chapter is entirely Zelda’s. I finally got to wrap up the festival and this chapter was one of my favorites to write- Enjoy!

**Chapter 13- The Festival of Colors (Part 2)**

  
  


Link extended his right leg forward and bent over with his right arm outstretched- the unspoken request to begin the Waltz. He glanced up to stare into her eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.

_ How does he not know, how could he not know? He’s so brilliant, how is he clueless to how I feel? _

Zelda courtseyed back, a wordless acceptance.

He strode forward and pulled her close, his right arm wrapped around her side as his left held her arm outstreched. Her breath hitched as he began the dance- he was so confident. She was lucky years of practice made the movements so natural, her footwork was the last thing on her mind. 

_ Oh Link, how can I show you why I asked you? If only I were as brave as you… _

She thought to the tantrum she threw when she saw him with Tilly, how flustered she got when entered the room, the way she always looked at him. What started out as a childish crush had grown significantly.

_ I love him. _

She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but it had and she couldn’t deny it. He was so caring, so kind. He spun her around and caught her as she stared into his eyes. Link’s sea blue irises took her breath away and she could see the affection in his soft gaze.

_ I have to tell him. _

“You’ll have to forgive me your highness, the Waltz is still quite foreign to me.”

“Oh nonsense Link, you dance fantastically. Who taught you?”

She noticed his cheeks flush pink.

“What? Who taught you Link?”

“Well,” he began, “I’ve been learning from Shad.”

She laughed in a friendly manner, “That’s wonderful, he actually is quite talented. It explains how you move so naturally.”

He thanked her for her kind words and explained his lessons with Shad. How he felt stupid at first, he had to practice the girls part. He recounted the lessons in etiquette and pose, and how after the weeks he finally learned how to not trip over his own feet. 

Zelda thought of the best way to tell him why she asked him to the festival as they danced for a few more songs. She started to feel much more comfortable in his arms and he waltzed her through some beautiful musical pieces. Soon, they took a break for a refreshing drink in the summer night. They had stayed in the Western Courtyard, she wanted to move to one of the ballrooms. They had just finished a few cups of water when a young commoner woman approached Link. She was clad in a simple pink dress and shook to the bone as she asked him to dance. He looked mortified and jumped back, he looked towards Zelda and she had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.

“Go on,” she mouthed and gestured for him to go dance. Apparently he didn’t want to risk sending the wrong message again.

They ended up swapping partners for a little while and she only briefly saw him, when he was dancing with other girls. She danced with some noblemen and even one song with Legault. He was a good man and she liked that he helped Link feel more comfortable around the nobility. Although he had a certain way with the ladies and she didn’t want Alice to get hurt.

“Say Legault, I see Alice is quickly warming up to you,” she remarked casually, but her warning was clear.

“Yeah, she is an impressive woman,” he responded with a smile.

“That she is, I should hope that you aren’t planning on your usual games with someone so close to me.”

“Oh your majesty, I wouldn’t dream of it!”

He leaned in after a spin, “You have my word.”

She nodded in approval and soon the song ended.

“Say my Queen, there isn’t long left tonight. I wouldn’t want you to miss dancing with your hero.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind Legault.”

He bowed politely and went off in search of Alice. And she fortunately found Link without too much effort.

“Would care to dance another song my Queen?”

“That sounds lovely.”

It was a slow piece of music, and their dance was peaceful. He pulled her closer than necessary and held her more tenderly than before. It felt amazing and soon her nerves simply melted away. Her anxiety had disappeared and had been replaced with a giddy excitement she wasn’t used to.

After a few momentsof dancing he spoke, “Hey sorry for putting you on the spot earlier. I shouldn’t have asked why you brought me- I apologize if it made you uncomfortable.”

“No Link that’s not it at all!” She paused, trying to find the right words.

She began speaking slowly, but very focused. “Do you remember our last conversation in my room?”

She heard his breath quicken and his voice was low and eager, “Yeah?”

“You spoke about the woman for you?”

“Yes, yes I did.”

Zelda’s heart was pounding but she knew she had to tell him.

“I think that… that woman you spoke of has already fallen head over heels for you.”

His eyes went wide and he pulled her in close, “Is that why you?...”

She interrupted him, “Yeah, that’s why I asked you to the festival, why I was upset about Tilly. It’s true.”

He stopped mid-step and caught her. He smiled wide and started laughing softly, he suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the ballroom towards the castle walls. She laughed along with him, running beside him in nervous excitement.

_ I told him! I told him! _

She was so happy, they ran up the stairs and heard distant clapping as the night came to a close.

“Link! Where are we going?”

“Anywhere, I don’t care!” He shouted back.

They stopped on a nearby parapet, struggling to catch their breaths when they heard the first fireworks.

BAM!

Link momentarily took his eyes off of her and stared in the distance.

“Wow!” he gasped, eyes fixed on the falling lines of green.

“They’re amazing aren’t they?”

He turned and smiled deeply at her,

“Yeah, thanks for tonight Zelda. It was the best night I’ve ever had.”

She blushed and struggled to keep her breath steady. She heard the explosions in the sky and didn’t even glance over. His face shone in the with colorful flashes and he looked down and smiled wide. He looked back up at her and grabbed her hand again, pulling her even closer. His face approached her own till they were mere inches apart.

“Oh Link…” she mouthed, barely any sound escaping.

He eyed her lips and she couldn’t help staring at his. Their foreheads touched and she could feel his warm breath on his face. Her palms sweated freely and she swore her heart was trying to escape her chest. He inched closer and stopped,

Link’s voice was scarcely more than a whisper, “Your highness? Are you okay with this?”

She brought her hands to his cheeks and nodded fiercely. He inhaled deeply and Zelda couldn't breathe. And then he kissed her...

It started slowly and soft. Then his passion overcame him and Link pulled her tight against him and kissed her hard. Zelda gasped and then sighed into his mouth (it was definitely NOT a moan). It felt so great, and she rapidly got lost in another world. And quickly, far too quickly it was over.

_ Wow… _

His forehead was still pressed against hers and he held a hand against her neck.

“Zelda. I’ve wanted to do that a long time.”

She ran her fingers through Link’s hair and then kissed him again.

“Yeah, I agree.” 

She chuckled and they remained blissfully unaware of the world around them...

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty crazy right?! My first time ever writing a romantic scene like that- I’ve loved writing this! I have some big plans with this story- but I have a big project with my work I’m starting Tuesday so it will be a while before I can update again. Hopefully this chapter can leave you guys at a good pausing point till I get time to write again. Thank you guys so much for reading this- until next time!


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